Slow Time
by xReika
Summary: Ling Tong was never nice to her. He was cruel as kids and nasty as an adult. 10 years since last they met, it's Xi Won time to take matters into her own hands, because a grudge can last for a long time. Well, unless it changes to something else. LTxOC
1. Prologue

A/N: I swear. Everytime I get my hands on a DW game. I get the writing bug. This time it's with Empires. Hohoahoa. I can't make any promises of being on time, as I've done it 3 times in the past and I am the crappiest updater ever. I promise to try really hard though. Anyways, once again it's my LTxOC fic, which of course will feature the precious Shu kingdom (as do all my other stories). But yes. Hope people will enjoy this one, and thank you to the people who support me!

Update: May 23,2010: So like, I wonder why no one ever pointed out that I got my whole prologue epilogue thing mixed up until now? I've been looking like an idiot for so long. ANYWAYS, thanks very much for the pointers and I have changed the titles. Once again: Never start new stories in the middle of the night, and always proof read, even though I'm very lazy to. Thanks for the support!

* * *

Prologue

The sound of bells chiming brought the children up to their feet and towards the main hall. Today was results day. The day that most children loathed but there were the very few that were excited to see how they have improved in the past year. The kids pushed and shoved, all trying to get to the board where the scrolls were posted. Ling Tong hopped over the fallen students and spun around the tubbier ones, being the first one there as usual. With his hopes held high, he gaped at the rankings from bottom to top, stopping at his own name. "No. Way." He muttered under his breath.

"What are the rankings? Let me see! Let me see!" the rest of the children had caught up and were taking a peek. "Who is number one? Is it you Gong Ji?"

"Of course it's not him." Someone laughed, "It's Xi Won!"

"Xi Won!" Tong muttered under his breath, "Where is that punk?" he shouted.

"Studying in the library again probably."

"Shh! Why'd you say that!" Another boy nudged him in the stomach. They watched Tong storm away, "FIGHT!" someone else shouted and everyone began to follow the angry son of Ling Cao.

Xi Won placed his hand under his chin and stared out into the sky. He had no intention to join the rest of the children, instead he enjoyed the silence he got in the library. With next weeks test study material in his lap, he closed his eyes and tried to listen to the wonderful sounds of nature. There was the sound of birds chirping and that soft, gentle wind that rattled the leaves…followed by a mass mob of footsteps. He opened his eyes and stared towards the hallway where a very angry Tong was approaching. This happened every results day, with the two of them competing. Xi Won had known Tong all his life because they were both the children of very prestigious and respected individuals. So all their life, they had been compared to. From taking their first steps, composing their first poems or gutting an animal. And every results day Tong would come to boast about his marks. Unfortunately for Tong, at their tender age of 10, the importance of scholarship was just as important as battle skills. "There you are!" Tong snarled and picked up Xi Won by the scruff of his collar. "Outside now!"

"I don't see why you're so angry, Gong Ji." Xi Won tried to calm down his rival. At the age of 10, they were complete opposites in size. Xi Won was scrawny, skinny and short while anyone could tell Tong would grow into a very strong warrior.

"You know why." He shouted, and began to drag him outside. Xi Won sighed as the scrolls fell off lap. If only this didn't happen every results day.

* * *

"Shen Xi Won!" Xi Won's mother shouted when he came back home, tattered and beaten up. "Did that Ling child do this again?" she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into her room. "Make sure no one comes in!" she instructed her maids, "And get Xing Li." When the orders were given, Mother Shen gave her child a hug. "Oh my daughter. What happened this time?"

"Results day." Xi Won shrugged off her shirt, grimacing in pain after. "I think he dislocated something."

"That boy is just like his father!" Mother Shen cleared the dirt from her face. "I have no clue what your father was thinking. Raising you and fooling the world as a boy. You're obviously a girl." She said, broken hearted. "My beautiful girl."

"Father said it will end soon."

"Your father. Your father has been saying that for 10 years!" She said in disgust, "You are his child! Does he not care!" It was fact that Xi Won had been born a girl, much to the dismay of her father who had prepared all the festivities for a son. This was because, just like herself and Tong, her father and Ling Cao carried on a rivalry that stemmed from their childhood. It was unfortunate for Xi Won that she had to be the first child born and that she had to share the same birthday as Tong. For her Father's foolish pride had kept her hiding from the world for the past ten years.

"I don't care!" Mother Shen shouted, "I'm not letting his happen anymore!" her finger pointed at Father Shen. "You either tell the world she is a girl, or I am!"

"I can't now! It's been ten years!"

"Look at your daughter! She's getting bullied!"

"She wouldn't if she could fight back!"

"She is a girl!"

"There is no gender preference in battle skills."

"You are so pigheaded!"

"Are they fighting again?" Xi Won asked her most trusted maid, Xing Li. Xing Li was an elderly lady, who was present for her birth. There was no one else in the world that knew her and trusted her more than Xing Li.

"It's fine child."

"Is it my fault for not being born a boy?"

"Of course not." Xing Li combed her hair.

"I mean. We do have a boy in the family." She was talking about her little brother, "He will be the one who inherits everything…"

"Oh child."

"I'm sick of getting beat up by Tong." A tear dropped from her eye. "I'm sick of getting beat up cause I can't build muscle or fat or anything." She stared to sniffle, "And what if I start to grow…you know." Her eyes were now brimming with tears. "They'll know and they'll start calling me a freak!"

"Child!" Xing Li stepped back surprised, she had never seen her like this. "Must be the work of being a woman." She laughed.

"I want to run away Xing Li. Run away with me."

"Oh no! Don't you say that." Xing Li hit her on the head softly, "But…your mother and I have been talking but we never dared to ask. But if you're so unhappy…why don't you go stay with my nieces?"

"You're nieces?"

"They're a pair of sisters, beautiful little girls. A little bit older than you, but sweet and gentle. You could go live with them if you want."

"As a boy?"

"No. As a girl." Xing Li ruffled her hair, "They could teach you everything."

* * *

The next morning Tong went to school grumbling and mumbling, angry from the lecture he received from both his father and mother. "You go apologize to that child right now!" His mothers words had pierced his ears.

"You must control your anger." His father shook his head and said after. "You will be a great warrior, but with your temper, it will come back to harm you."

"Fine. Fine." He had promised. Now he was walking to school with a bag of sweets, Xi Won's favorite. "Hey." Tong asked one of his classmates who walked by, "Where's Xi Won?"

"Didn't you hear? Xi Won moved away yesterday." The bag of treats fell out of his hand and onto the ground. Guilt was never a nice feeling to have.


	2. Qiao's Arrival

Chapter 1: Qiao's Arrival

The arrow sliced through the target and prompted a group of young men hollering and cheering in victory. "Looks like we win again!" Tong high fived the rest of his team mates.

"Gong Ji." His teacher and also his father folded his arms across his chest, "What have I told you about your boastfulness?"

"It'll come and haunt me one day." He rolled is eyes while saying.

"You're 19 years old and still acting like a child." Ling Cao shook his head but smiled proudly at his son. "Alright, that's enough for class today. We should all get ready for the banquet." The students saluted their teacher and watched him walk away.

"Hey, hey." One of Tong's classmates jumped on his shoulder while they were heading back to their quarters, "Have you actually seen any of the Qiao's?"

"I heard they were hidden from view from the rest of the generals until tonight. Only Lord Sun and Master Zhou has seen them."

"I heard their beauty was so great, that any man who laid eyes would want them instantly."

"Which is why we are introduced to them after they're married." They looked over at the quiet Tong, "Gong Ji, aren't you listening?"

"Yeah yeah, beautiful woman." He made a yapping motion with his hands.

"Always the suave one." His friends scoffed. Tong laughed and continued walking ahead. Inside he was just as excited to see the legendary beauty of the Qiao's. Who wouldn't? But by being the son of Ling Cao, he had to show much reserve in everything he did. He was representing the Ling name now, after all.

"Hey I'll see you guys later." Tong said to his friends, before entering his own quarters in the academy. He had promised his mom he would be there early, and sadly, he was already late.

----  
The banquet hall was packed with various people wanting to get a glimpse at the exotic Qiao sisters. Only a select few had been invited to the actual wedding that had happened over a month ago. Now the rest of the castle goers were invited to see what the big deal was about. There were officers from all ranks, toting their wives who were dressed heavier in their make up and accessories. Tong strolled around, feigning smiles and compliments to all the women who asked until he spotted his parents. Seeing his mother wave, he joined them and the group they were talking to. "Oh, Gong Ji." Cao patted his sons shoulder, "This is Master and Lady Qiao." He referred to the couple in front. "This is my son, Ling Gong Ji."

"It's an honor to meet you." Everyone bowed and exchanged pleasantries. Tong looked over beside Lady Qiao, where a young maiden was standing. Her eyes fixed on him.

"Is this?" he asked his mother.

"Oh no, this is the Qiao sisters cousin. Lady Shen."

"Lady Shen." Tong bowed, the young girl did the same.

"Gong Ji, won't you be a dear and escort Lady Shen today? It is better for her to find people her age than walk around with old people like us."

"Please, Master Ling. You surely jest." She smiled, "It would be an honor to escorted by your fine son."

"Then so be it." Lady Ling clapped her hands, a little too happy for the public to see. She cleared her throat and patted her son on the back. "Be a gentlemen." Her eyes narrowed when she said it and the group walked away, leaving the two young ones alone.

"Who did you think I was?" she suddenly said, prompting his mouth to go dry.

"I. Uh. Nothing."

"Did you think I was one of my cousins?"

"Nono. Of course not. You're obviously neither of the Qiao's." the words had come out of his mouth before registering in his brain. Lady Shen's face changed instantly and her face grew dark.

"Are you calling me ugly?"

"No. No! I'm just saying…" he blinked, "You are obviously not one of the Qiao's because you are not with Master Zhou and Lord Sun."

"Hey! Hey! Who is this?" Tong's classmate saved him the humiliation. "Why, what is Tong doing with such a gorgeous woman like you?"

"Flattered." She said coldly. "If you excuse me." She said and turned to leave.

"But Lady Shen, I'm in charge of you today." Tong called out after her. Lady Shen turned around and glared.

"I am in the care of no one." She snapped and hurried off.

"Tough cookie." One classmate cooed, another followed with,

"Pretty though."

---  
She rummaged through her belongings and threw clothes left and right. It was a habit she had picked up whenever she was angry and could not express it. Make a mess now. Have someone clean it up for her later. Grabbing her shoes, she aimed them at the front door and threw it with all her might. She didn't expect the door to open and strike her cousin in the face. "Oh my god."

"My nose!" Xiao Qiao, the younger of the Qiao siblings shouted. "Xiang Wan!"

"I'm so sorry Xiao Qiao." She went up to her and checked to see if anything was broken. "Is Master Zhou not going to take you anymore? I'll explain to him! I'm so sorry!"

"She's fine." Da Qiao laughed gently from behind, her sleeve covering her mouth. They walked into her room and noticed the mess. "I'm guessing your reunion with the young man did not go well?"

"Did he not recognize you at all?" Xiao Qiao sat down on a stool.

"Of course not." Her sister reminded her, "Do you not remember, the last time our Xiang Wan saw him, she was named Xi Won and was a boy."

"Oh right." Xiang Wan bit her lower lip. After a bout with her Father, her mother successfully sent her to the Qiao household where she had been residing and growing up in the past nine years. After so long, the Qiao's had decided to treat her like family, informing others that she was the girls cousin.

"I'm still named Xi Won. Legally anyways."

"Well, I talked it over with our new husbands," Da Qiao gushed a bit, not believing that she was married. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you wish."

"Really?"

"Of course." Xiao Qiao grinned, "That's what we came here to tell you anyways. But then we got sidetracked. We always get sidetracked…isn't that weird?"

"Master Zhou is going to have a handful with you." Da Qiao shook her head.

---  
As both Da and Xiao Qiao's husbands were quite busy with uniting China and such, they spent most of their days in Wu with Xiang Wan. Today, they were being toured around the training grounds. "Look, archery!" Xiao Qiao pointed to the field where a group of men were showing off their skills. Tong was among the group of men and he was up to the plate. With his arms perfectly positioned, he pulled his arm back and let go, the arrow going straight through the straw and piercing the wall behind it. "Amazing!" Xiao Qiao clapped, gaining the attention of the students.

"Lady Sun, Lady Zhou, Lady Shen." Everyone bowed.

"What brings you ladies here today?"

"General Ling." The girls bowed, "We just wanted to see the training grounds that you run." Da Qiao explained diplomatically. "Is that young man your son?"

"Why yes. This is the first time you've see him." Cao said happily. "He is one of the top students in archery. None next to the young Master Lu though."

"My cousin Xiang Wan is also very skilled in archery." Da Qiao suddenly said, prompting Xiang Wan to look up in horror.

"Oh really? It is rare for a young woman to take up these arts."

"She's been our bodyguard all our life. She's very gifted in self-defense and martial arts. Why don't you let her have a try?"

"Da Qiao!" she said.

"Okay!" Cao turned to his son and students, "Gong Ji, bring Lady Shen a bow and a quiver."

"What?" Tong raised his eyebrow.

Xiang Wan's arm shook a little in nervousness as everyone watched her from the sidelines. Surely she had confidence in her own ability, but it was a little awkward with Tong watching. Then she remembered all the times he beat her up and her arm went a little straighter and her vision a lot clearer. "Eat this." She stuck her tongue out a little and let go. The arrow went at an immense speed, cutting through the same stack of hay and hitting the wall with a plunk.

"Ah not as strong as Tong to pierce the wall." The students all whispered to each other, but they were still very impressed at her accuracy and strength.

"It's alright. Not everyone can pierce the wall." Tong crossed his arms beside Xiang Wan and smirked. "It's because you're a girl." Small gasps came from the Qiao's. Xiang Wei opened her mouth to retaliate but was quickly held down by her cousins.

"Calm." Da Qiao whispered into her ear. "Lady like." Taking a deep breath. Xiang Wan shoved the bow into Tong's arm.

"Check the wall for yourself. Master Ling." She barked, stomping off in another direction. The students all hurried over behind the wall and held their breaths, speechless.

"Holy!" they shouted. Tong dropped the bow on the ground and rushed to them.

"Unbelievable…" he stuttered, as her arrow had not pierced through the wall, but had gotten there by slicing through his.

* * *

Jya. Not much happening now. But still early! ANYWAYS, thanks and have a great day!


	3. Renewed Rivalry

Today. I was in the presence of over 30 screaming children for my nieces 6th birthday. My brain is fried. My mind is tired. But nonetheless, I felt like writing. So thanks for the reads/comments and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2: Renewed Rivalry

Da Qiao walked into the guest room where Xiang Wan was staying, only to dodge an array of items coming her way. From clothes, to earrings, shoes and socks, everything was being trashed. "Shen Xiang Wan!" she said in her commanding, mother tone, prompting the madness to stop. "Where's Xiao Qiao?" she looked around to see a trembling pile of clothes. Da Qiao removed the layers off her little sister.

"Oh my God she's gone insane!" Xiao Qiao screamed.

"You can never take the boy away from her." Her sister replied, "Xiang Wan, what upsets you so?"

"He's never changed." She slammed her fist on the table, "When I was a boy, I used to beat him in archery all the time!"

"Well you technically beat him this time."

"But because I was a girl, it didn't even register into his mind!" she gritted her teeth. "When we were little, he had size and strength over me…"

"And now that you're older, he still has size and strength over you." Xiao Qiao pointed out.

"But I'm stronger than I was when I was 10!"

"And so is he…" the younger Qiao finished. Xiang Wan folded her arms across her chest. "Sorry, sorry, I'm on your side."

"I thought none of this mattered to you anymore." Da Qiao took a seat beside her now that things looked much more clam. "You came to us because you wanted to escape the life of archery and fencing and studies."

"But technically she still did those things with us."

"Xiao Qiao!" her sister glared. Prompting the young girl to sit still in fright. "Anyways, why do you care so much about a simple archery match? I thought you were going to be the bigger person."

"Correction. I was." She mumbled. "But seeing him again it…it makes me so mad. I know I can beat him now. I know it."

"He'll never duel you. You're a girl." Xiao Qiao piped up again. A thought suddenly crossed Xiang Wan's mind and registered in her face.

"I don't like that look."

"Da Qiaaao." She suddenly purred, "You're the wife of the ruler are you not."

"Yes."

"Xiaoo Qiaaao." She turned the other sister, "And you're the wife of Wu's tactician are you not?"

"Yes."

"Please tell them to let me in the academy!"

"No! They won't allow it!" Da Qiao quickly said, "Right Xiao Qiao? It's all men, they won't allow it."

"Unless Xiang Wan goes as Xi Won."

"That's a great idea Xiao Qiao!"

"No! That's not a great idea! It's a stupid idea! Both of you stop this!"

---  
All her life she had been trying to please people. From her parents to her teachers, she got a satisfaction from making others happy. So when Xiang Wan finally convinced her, Da Qiao gathered her courage and went to her husband. "My husband." She said gently, "Am I disturbing you?"

"Of course not." The gallant Sun Ce said upon his throne. "What is it, my beloved?"

"I just wanted to inform you that my niece, Xiang Wan has returned home."

"Oh." He looked surprised, "Did she not like it here?"

"Actually…I had a favor to ask of you."

"Speak, we are husband and wife." She nodded and tried to find the right words.

"She…is going to get married."

"Then she will have the finest silks and gowns to marry in."

"Oh I appreciate the gesture but, I had something else to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Her beau, is a man of Shen Xi Won."

"Also a Shen?" he looked surprised, people with the same surnames could never marry.

"Different meaning." Ce nodded, thinking it was understandable. "He is a fine gentleman and warrior. He would truly be an asset to Wu…" she took a deep breath, "But he is still young, Xiang Wan wondered if he could be placed in the academy?" That's it, she was going to go to deepest depth of hell. She was lying to her husband of all people, she should prepare to reincarnate in her next life into a dog, no something even worse, a bug.

"Okay." He shrugged, "I love a good man who wants to prove himself. I'll tell the academy."

"Re…really?" she stuttered, "Oh, thank you my husband."

---  
Tong stayed out in the training field for the rest of the night, his eyes fixated on the arrow Xiang Wan shot. Never had he seen such accuracy and precision. Not even from Lu Xun, the only man that Tong would admit defeat to in archery and academia. "I heard you were out here." Someone said from behind him.

"Oh, Bo Yan." He greeted the handsome, brown haired individual, "Back from surveying the lands already?"

"Master Zhou missed his wife." He chuckled, "So we hurried back." Xun took a good look at the wall and whistled, "I heard about it, but couldn't believe it."

"Can you pull something off like that?"

"Not sure." He touched the wall, "This is not just talent, it's truly an exotic skill. Is it true a woman did this?"

"We were all watching."

"I would like to meet her, too bad she had already left."

"She has?"

"Heard she was too upset after arguing with a jerk, according to Lady Zhou's words." Tong swallowed hard. "No point in watching this forever." He gave his friend a pat on the back, "How is your father?"

"He is preparing for an expedition out West. Sucks I still have to be here."

"The day we graduate from the academy Gong Ji, will be our day to shine." Xun laughed and pulled out a bottle of wine. "My present from my trip." he poured them both a glass, "To our future."

"To our future." Their glasses clinked under the moonlight.

The next morning, the students were in the field stretching and having sparring practices when their classmate came running towards them, panting and waving. "What happened to you?"

"Big, big news!" he shouted, "We're going to get a new student."

"A new student? But graduation is soon. He'll never make it."

"I heard this person is amazing! Skilled in both combat and academia, a mix of Gong Ji and Bo Yan."

"Bull." Tong called his classmates bluff when they noticed their teacher walking with an unfamiliar man. He was dressed in training gear, his hair tied tightly into a bun. The young man was scrawny but carried a strange sense of pride as he walked.

"Listen up, this is a relative of the Lady Qiao's."

"Uh. Not their direct relative." The young man corrected, his voice disturbingly low.

"I don't care." The teacher snapped. "Introduce yourself. Class starts in ten." He said before walking away. Tong had not been eyeing the young man for a long period, not recalling the resemblance.

"I'm Shen Xi Won." The name rang a bell in his ear, but he wasn't quite sure why.

"Relative to the Qiao's…Shen…oh you're Xiang Wan's brother?" he said. They did look a like. Xi Won's face turned dark.

"I'm not!" the voice was a bit high, before dropping down into the frightening tone. "I am her fiancé."

"You're marrying someone else with the same surname?" Someone said, "Ew." Xi Won tightened his fist.

"Different meaning!" he shouted, clearing his throat, he looked over at Tong. "You don't remember me, do you?" Suddenly all eyes were glued on them.

"No, not really." He scratched his head. Xi Won looked onto the ground to see two swords lying adjacent from each other.

"Catch." He said to Tong, kicking it up with his foot and towards him.

"Wha?" Tong grabbed the handle of the flying blade and watched Xi Won do the same to himself. "I'm confused."

"No need to be confused." Xi Won said, his eyes filled with hate. He pointed the tip of his sword at Tong's neck. "You're going to pay for all the stuff you did to me. Ling Gong Ji."

-------

As usual. Thanks for reading and have a great day!


	4. Moving Up North

I have a dilemma. I have another idea in my head for a story, and it's totally killing this one. So I'm deciding to either A) Scrap this one and start the other one. B) Attempt to write both. But I'd probably lazy out in both. Harm..

ANYWAYS. I'll see how it goes in the next few days. Ideas take time to boil up. Thus, the usual, thank you for reading, to the commenting readers to the silent readers, it's much appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 3: Moving Up!...North

Her hand trembled a bit as she held the long blade towards his throat. She didn't have a malice intent for this duel, she just wanted to prove that she could beat him. Tong returned her a confused stare as he raised his eyebrow. "Are you crazy?" he stuck his sword deep into the soil. Without a blink, he easily grabbed hold of her sword and stuck it beside his. "Why would I fight you? We are comrades."

"Co…comrades?" she blinked. "Do you seriously not remember who I am? Shen Xi Won!" Tong scratched his chin and shook his head. "You're…you're unbelievable."

"Do you really know this guy Tong?" the other students whispered around him. "He seems to hate you."

"I don't know, I've known a lot of people in my life. They might all hate me." He laughed and they all started to walk away.

"Don't. Don't you walk away!" she shouted after them.

"Why?" Tong turned and looked at her, "If we don't move, we're going to be late for class." Her legs finally gave in on her and she sunk to the ground. She clearly did not think this idea through.

"Hey newbie!" Someone shouted, "Are you coming?" She looked up and glared.

"Fine." She mumbled and followed them to the classroom.

---  
"Who is that?" Xun asked Tong when the new student walked in.

"Shen Xi Won." He replied, "Fiance of the Qiao's cousin."

"Isn't her last name Shen too?" he looked appalled.

"Different pronunciation or spelling or whatever."

"Oh." They watched him stumble around in the back until he found an empty seat. "Doesn't look much of a warrior."

"Yeah but you should have seen him try to kill Tong." Their classmates snickered. Xun, mouth agape looked at his friend.

"But I didn't do anything." Tong flicked them all away, "What?" he looked at Xun, "I didn't do anything."

"Alright kiddies." Their teacher, the man from earlier came into the room. All the students went on their feet and bowed. "Good." He cleared his throat, "We have a change of plans now. Power is rising in the West, and we need to prepare."

"Does that mean we're going to go out on to the battlefield?" Voices started to talk all at once, expressing their excitement.

"Of course not." Their teacher barked, "You guys are being trained to be more than prey to be slaughtered. You are our strongest warriors. Instead, we will be changing our curriculum to be mainly survival."

"Survival?"

"Incase you are separated from the army. Captured. You need to know how to survive that, and protect your comrades among you. Remember, you are all proud servants of Wu." There was a small rallying cry. "We will be heading out of the castle, into training grounds in the north. We leave for a month. There is no class today, go home, tell your families and pack up. We leave in the morning." He saluted his students who returned the gesture and walked way.

"The forests up north!" someone shouted with excitement, "Oh boy!"

"Isn't that…you know." A voice piped up, "The haunted grounds?" he continued, making ghastly ghost noises after.

"G. ghosts?" An unfamiliar voice said in the background. Everyone looked around to see Xi Won completely in shock.

"Are you afraid of ghosts?" Someone teased and the rest of the room started laughing.

"There is nothing wrong with fear." Xun said.

"He's right." Tong added, "If you guys keep laughing, you be careful of the spirits that get you." Going behind some students, he suddenly spooked them, "BOO!" he shouted. "See, you're all a little scared."

"You're an ass, Gong Ji." Those students muttered. "Let's go pack guys." They began to clear out of the room until it was only Xun, Tong and Xi Won.

"I didn't need you to help me back there." He muttered.

"Well, I don't know what's wrong with you, but we're comrades here." Tong said.

"I'd never be comrades with you!" he shouted, turning around and leaving.

"What did you do to the poor guy?" Tong scratched his head to Xun's question.

---  
Xiang Wan muttered all the way out of the academy and into the Qiao's quarter where her cousins would be waiting. Just as promised, both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were in the tea room, when she stomped in. "Ahem." Da Qiao coughed and Xiang Wan looked up.

"Lady Sun, Lady Zhou" she bowed to the two of them. Forgetting that she was Xi Won at that moment.

"Master Shen." They returned the gesture, "Please, leave us." Da Qiao ordered the servants and maids who closed the door to the room. When they were all alone, Xiao Qiao pranced off her chair and jumped her.

"You're so handsome!" Xiao Qiao screeched.

"XIAO QIAO!" Da Qiao panicked, "Don't let anyone hear you! They'll think…"

"Oh it's fine, they wouldn't dare open their mouths outside." She grabbed Xiang Wan's hand and made her sit. "So how was your first day?"

"Well…I tried to kill Gong Ji, then I was informed that we'd be moving up north and then I was embarrassed in front of the entire class. Sounds like a good day to me."

"Up north?" Da Qiao blinked, "I did not hear anything about this."

"Something about preparation for a battle…what is the academy for anyways?"

"My husband explained a bit of it to me," Da Qiao began, "There are two types. The more elite academy, which you are in and the regular academy. The regular academy is more like an army base for regular soldiers while the academy is taking the best warriors and training them to eventually be leaders. They also go through rigorous training for raids and what not. All the better warriors had to go through testing to get in."

"Which is why I had to do those tests for Master Zhou?" Xiao Qiao nodded. "So I'm actually good warrior material?" Xiao Qiao shook her head. "What?"

"I had to pull some strings." The younger Qiao scratched the back of her head, "But Master Zhou said you almost passed!"

"I don't want to know what the strings were…" Xiang Wan planted her forehead on the table.

"You can always turn back." Da Qiao said, "I can explain to my husband…"

"No!" Xiang Wan put her hand up to stop her from continuing, "I won't give up. I won't let Tong have the last laugh, ever." She stood up and took a deep breath, "I'm going to best him."

"Best him?"

"That's right, I'm going to be the number one student at the academy."

"Oh boy." Da Qiao sighed, pouring herself another cup of tea.

---  
The hike towards the training grounds up north was more grueling than any of the students could handle. First of all, they had to go up there blindfolded and in a single file, with their hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them as they hiked up hills and around cliffs. "This is a secret base." Their commander told them, "We need to train you guys for any type of mission available, therefore you must experience the training base completely new."

"Yeah or walks us all into a cliff." Someone mumbled in the back, forcing the line to giggle. Xiang Wan was unfortunately lined behind Xun and in front of Tong. Her hand was small, which made it difficult to keep her hand wrapped around Xun's shoulder, while her small shoulder made it difficult for Tong's hand to stay positioned.

"Jeeze Xi Won." Tong mumbled as they were hiking up another hill, "Why are you shoulders so freakin' small."

"Shut, shut up." She replied, moving her shoulder so that his hand would move up higher and higher. "And stop lowering your hands! What are you a pervert?"

"Why would I be a pervert? Your shoulders are like a girl," he sneered, "And we're all men here." Tong's hand purposely lowered. Xiang Wan freaked and threw her elbow backwards, throwing Tong and the rest of the students off balance and onto the ground. "Ow…"

"What happened?" The commander looked down at the rest of them, "Gong Ji! Xi Won! What are you two up to?!"

"Nothing." Xiang Wan said politely, "Poor Gong Ji just tripped." She turned around and stuck her tongue out. She knew he couldn't see it, but it still felt good to do.

"You're all a bunch of children." The commander muttered, trudging down the hill and fixing the line. After all the students were connected again, they once again started their grueling hike up north.

* * *


	5. Partners

WHY. IS. IT. SO. HOT?! Yeah yeah, I know probably everyone is like "Where you live isn't hot!". But I hate the heat. I hate humidity. I hate stickiness. Gaaah stop the heat!!

Other notes aside. thanks for the reads/comments! Here's Chapter 4!

* * *

Chapter 4: Partners

The grounds they were on were not at all appealing to the students, or anyone alive in this matter. There were no dorms, no mess halls, no training facilities, just acres and acres of forests and dirt. "This place is disgusting." Xi Won slapped various mosquitoes and bugs off her arm.

"This place is fabulous." Tong said at the same time, breathing in the mountain air. "Smells like nature, looks like nature."

"It is nature you nimwit." Xi Won snapped, forcing him to stare. He put his arm around Xi Won's neck and gave it a tight squeeze. "Let...let go!"

"SMELL THE AIR XI WON!"

"Tong, behave." Xun shook his head but found himself also under the headlock of his friend.

"SMELL THE AIR BO YAN." He cackled and dragged them towards the little tent in front of them.

---  
"Welcome to your final project." Their commanders voice bellowed over the crowded tent. "You have all been accepted into this academy because of certain skills that make you more extraordinary than others. Now we want to you show it, in this simple, survival skill challenge. Each you have been divided into groups according to the tasks you would perform if you were in battle with us." He referred to a scroll hung in the back wall that had separated everyone. "Each section will have their own set of tasks to complete."

"Sounds fun."

"It isn't. You and your partner will be the only other person you can trust." He waved his hand, "Go find your part-" Before he could finish his sentence, the students had all ran to the list.

"Guess I get to stay here." Xun grinned while balancing on the heel of his toes. "Tactician commander."

"You're a special case." Tong rolled is eyes and looked at his category. "Infiltration." He smiled, "Excellent."

"Infiltration?" Xi Won took a huge gulp, "Why would I be put in here?" he saw Tong's name after and muttered Xiao Qiao's name.

"Guess we're partners, you and I." he grinned.

"You seriously have no clue who I am?"

"Not a clue."

"Jerk." Xi Won muttered and walked out of the tent.

"Hey partner! You forgot our stuff!" he called out.

"Why do you like to torment the poor guy?" Xun asked when he had left.

"I don't torment him." His friend gave him a cold, long stare.

"I knew him before." Tong finally gave up and said.

"You did? Why do you keep saying that you don't?"

"It's because I don't want to." Tong sighed and grabbed their kit, "See you later Xun."

---  
Tong caught up to Xi Won who had already descended into the forest. He could hear his mutters clearly, as he walked through the tall grasses. "Where are you going?" Tong called out, "You haven't even looked at our instructions."

"Fine." Xi Won stopped in his tracks and turned around, "What are our instructions?" He allowed Tong to catch up to him as they both opened up the bag. Inside were small rations enough for less than a few days, a map, instructions and wooden weapons. "What are these for?" he picked up the wooden sword and hit Tong on the side of the arm.

"Hey," Tong dropped the instructions onto the ground, "We're partners, you can't kill me." Xi Won ignored his comment and picked it up.

"There is a base North of here, we're supposed to get in and gather information."

"Seriously?" Tong scratched his head, "This does sound like a game."

"We aren't supposed to go until tomorrow though, I guess everyone has to be set up."

"What do you mean?"

"The heavily guarded guards in this letter, must be our own classmates." He pointed far to the other side of the forest where the students were rushing through.

"Ah. So…we have to stay in the wilderness for a whole night?" Xi Won suddenly straightened up and felt the hairs on his neck go up. "What's wrong?"

"I…I don't want to be in the wilderness with you."

"Afraid of the ghosts?" he teased. Xi Won took the sword and hit him again, "Ow! Man you have problems." WHACK.

---  
They sat across from each other in silence, Tong reading the instruction scroll over and over while Xiang Wan kept her hands warm with the makeshift fire they built. She looked up at him once in a while and was impressed on how much he had changed. He was still a jerk of course, but he was very rational and patient. The Tong she knew 10 years ago would have just charged the building, but yet he was drawing floor plans in the dirt. "Need help?" she finally had the courage to say to him.

"No, it's fine." He drew a straight line through his plan, "I just can't see how this works." He looked at her, "I have no clue what your style is. What are you an expert in?"

She gulped. Other than archery, she really had nothing. But she might give herself away if she told him.

"I'm just as good as you. Just…think that there are two of you." He looked at her funny. "What?"

"Doubt that."

"Excuse me?"

"I doubt you're exactly like me." He stuck the twig deep in the soil, "I mean, you tried to kill me the first time we met. I don't know why you'd be chosen for something so patient as infiltration."

"I'll have you know, I only did that because I hate you." she looked away, nose pointed high up in the air.

"Whatever." He went back to drawing plans on the ground.

"I'm going to bed." She announced and grabbed the small, thin, blanket that part of their kit. Going to the nice pile of leaves she had gathered earlier, she wrapped herself tightly and closed her eyes. "Jerk." She mumbled again.

It was the middle of the night when a strange howling sound woke Xiang Wan from her slumber. Shooting straight up, she gathered the blankets closer to her and looked around. Was this place really haunted? She turned to Tong who was sleeping on the opposite side of the campfire, snoring gently. Another howling sound whipped past her ear, forcing her to shriek and stand up. Tong woke up with a grunting start, his hand quickly on the wooden sword he had place beside him. "What is it?" he said to her.

"I…I heard a howling noise."

"You thought it was a ghost?" he stared at her in disbelief, "The suns not even up, and you woke me up for that?"

"It's not my fault!" she was still stuttering. Tong rolled his eyes.

"There are no ghosts here." He said and flopped back on his leafy bed. "How did you get into the academy?" he whispered, grumbling for the next five minutes. Upset, Xiang Wan got up from her bed and sat back on the log in front of the fire. Ever since she was a little girl, she had been a keen believer in spirits and the supernatural. She believed that her grandparents and even her father was always watching over her. Putting her two hands together, she prayed.

"I know what I'm doing is stupid." She whispered. "But please protect me, Father."

Lord Shen had died a few years ago when he had served in the army during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Even though he was not much of a fighter, he did not want to risk having her younger brother, the heir to the Shen fortune perish to warfare. So at the age of 59, he took his sword against the rebels, only to be struck by a poisonous arrow. She had remembered the day she heard about his death, during one of her sparring lessons. The news had taken such a bad toll on her, that she wanted to return home to be with her family. But the letter from her Mother had kept her with the Qiao family. And now here she was now, doing the one thing that drove her away from her family in the first place. "I'm so screwed up." She sighed, regretting her decision to join the Wu army…just a little. After all, if she was back with her cousins, she wouldn't have to sleep on the ground.


	6. Coming Clean

Wewp. I probably will wait a bit before seeing if I can handle 2 stories. I start working a lot next month, so I might either have no spare time (or a lot haha). But thank you for those who are supporting these stories. I was never a person who minded if I had comments or not, but for those who are taking their time to, I just want to say thank you. Good or bad comments, it really means a lot and it's what always forcing me to come back and being able to share stories with you guys. For you silent readers, don't worry either. I know you're out there! Thanks and enjoy this chapter everyone!

* * *

Chapter 5: Coming Clean

Xiang Wan woke up with a start due to the screams and shouts of Tong across from her. With her eyes blurred and her mind groggy, she shook it quickly to focus. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"A bird just pooped in my hair!" he mumbled, "Oh I hate the nature!" Tong untied his hair and picked up the clump that was covered with a murky, white substance. The bird was on a mission, and he had succeeded. Xiang Wan tried to suppress her giggles but failed miserably. She opened her mouth and cackled loudly, tears rolling down her eyes. "Shut up!" Tong yelled. Xiang Wan held onto her stomach and smiled.

"Sorry. There should be a lake near here." She picked up the map, "Would you like to wash up?"

"Yeah, pack up the stuff." Her heart beat increased.

"You can go first, just come back here."

"You know nothing about survival do you?" he raised an eyebrow, "You never leave your partner, no matter what happens. This may not be real, but we have to treat it like so." He folded his blanket into bag and swung it over his shoulders. "Let's go." Xiang Wan blinked, her mind trying to grasp on two things. When was Tong so mature? And why was she following him to a lake!

---  
The lake was situated just east of their area, far from the 'base' where they would have to infiltrate for their task. According to the instructions given to them, they would have to scout in the daylight and plan their attack. Their time limit was a week, and they had to report back to Xun without any complications, hopefully. Xiang Wan read those instructions over and over again, because she was trying to avoid the sight of Tong bathing in the lake.

"Why aren't you coming in? Don't you stink?" he shouted.

"I'm fine." Xiang Wan blushed and hid behind the scrolls, "Just wash your bird hair." She mumbled to him. Tong rolled is eyes and dipped his head deep into the water. Satisfied when he saw the crusted part of the bird excrement disappearing, he got out of the water and dried himself off the only way possible, shaking it off.

"The water is great." He said to her.

"Let's just go." Xiang Wan threw his clothes towards his direction and started walking away.

"What's your problem?" Tong mumbled, dressing himself. "Is he? Nah." He laughed it off and hurried to catch up.

---  
They hiked through the woods and dirt paths until Tong spotted the temporary camp base, "Look." He said to Xi Won, who was struggling to catch up from behind. "Are you alright?"

"I'm, I'm fine." He huffed and puffed, the wind escaping him. Xi Won took a deep breath and leaned on a tree.

"How did you make it into the academy?"

"Shut up." He snapped.

"It's cause your relationship with the Qiao's isn't it. Lady Shen's fiancé." Xi Won looked up.

"So what?"

"Are you doing it for her?"

"Whaa?"

"Well, I've been in the army for a long time. I fought my first battle when I was 15 you know." Xi Won wasn't sure if he was saying it as a good or bad thing. "And all those soldiers I met, the ones like you, who fight for a woman, they're more eccentric than you."

"What do you mean?"

"They never shut up about the girl back home, that's for sure." He grinned.

"I…like to keep privacy about my relationships."

"Hrm."

"What does that mean?" Xi Won glared, "Lady Shen, she's…pretty…and…kind."

"That's it? Pretty and kind is what I'd use to describe my mother."

"Well, I wouldn't want to say too much. What if you fall in love with her?" Xi Won said quickly, prompting Tong to stop. He turned and stared at Xi Won long and hard. "What?"

"Fair enough." Tong smirked and bent down. "Look at this, we're here." Xi Won crouched beside him and gasped.

"Explain to me about this again?"

"What?"

"Explain the whole academy. I mean…" he directed their attention towards the fact that there was a whole other base across from them.

"You see, Lord Sun tries to focus on abilities. Makes us all seem special. So when we were drafted we were noted on the one specialty, then we are trained towards it. One, by making us feel like we're needed for our ability, we will hopefully stay loyal to Lord Sun."

"So all these people over here…"

"Are based on their abilities whether it is guarding, strategical, surveying, etc."

"And you're infiltration."

"We're infiltration." He put his index finger to his lip and scurried over to the side. He double checked his map and looked at the base in front of them. "Perfect, let's go."

"What'd you just do? Aren't we supposed to infiltrate?"

"Are you kidding me?" Tong gave him a look, Xi Won stuttered before going.

"Of course haha."

---  
They trekked back in to the depths of the forest and set up camp in a different area. Xiang Wan took a seat on a log and watched Tong start to mark up a map on the dirt again. "What are you doing now?" she asked him.

"Planning our attack. Would you like to help?"

"I think best if you lead."

"My thoughts exactly." Xiang Wan crossed her arms, at times he was still the same old Tong. She watched him intently, as his brows furrowed and he chewed on his upper lip in trains of thought.

"What city were you from?" she suddenly prompted to ask him.

"Yuhang. But I travelled a lot. Our ancestral home is there though. My mother still lives there actually." As did hers, Xiang Wan thought and felt a little homesick again. "What about you?"

"Um. I was from um."

"I learned a lot in Yuhang, had a great academy here." He suddenly started to say, his eyes still on the map.

"What is there to learn in Yuhang?"

"There wasn't any. It was the people there really. Very…great people." He turned to him, "I still go back from time to time."

"Did you know the Shen's?" she said. It was becoming idiotic that he still did not know who she was. Or "he" was.

"Yes, very great man." He grew silent, "But I heard he passed during the rebellion." Tong looked up, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"My. What. What?"

"I know who you are, Shen Xi Won. We were born on the same day. We were enrolled in the same school." Xiang Wan stayed silent for a bit, the two of them starring at each other uncomfortably. She shifted in her make shift seat and nodded.

"Why'd you pretend not to remember me then?"

"As sad as it sounds, acknowledging you would mean that I'd have to remember my past self."

"Your past self?"

"I felt guilty all these years." He said, laughing a bit after. "Chasing you out of school."

"You thought you chased me out of school?"

"Well I did kick your ass and then you were gone."

"Hold up." She stood up, "You did not kick my ass."

"I remember you crying going home."

"Those were not tears of pain."

"What were they from then, smarty pants?" Xiang Wan opened her mouth to retaliate but shook her head.

'I am the bigger person now." She said to him, "And you're my partner." She took the words out of his book, "No arguing."

"No arguing." He put his hands in the air as a surrendering gesture.


	7. Captured

Ah I apologize in advance for this short chapter. But I've been going out every night so I haven't had time to write. So I just wanted to post a short chapter, plus I think it ends in a nice, cliff hangering way. :D. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 6: Captured

It was nightfall when Tong and Xiang Wan returned to the base. Other than the flames that were lit around the area, there was not much difference. "Same number of guards, same people guarding." He added in for another joke. Xiang Wan gave him a stare, "Sorry." Tong rolled his eyes and went back. "We should go from here."

"That doesn't seem like a good idea." She said to him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it just does not feel right."

"What are you a girl?" she blinked at him, "There are no feelings in this type of job."

"Don't look down on women."

"Why are you so touchy. It was a joke." Xiang Wan's eyes narrowed even more but she managed to calm down.

"Sorry." She apologized, "But I wouldn't go that way."

"You have no actual reason why, other than a feeling."

"It's a good feeling."

"Well I'm going."

"I'm not." Tong turned and glared, "We're partners, you're supposed to trust me."

"We're partners, you're supposed to respect me." They stared at each other for a long time.

"I'm going."

"I'm going another way."

"Fine."

"Fine." She stuck her tongue out and stomped away.

Tong walked the small dirt path he had marked out on his map that could lead to the inside of the base. "What is that Xi Won thinking?" he muttered, "Not going cause of a feeling." He shook his head and went deeper into the forest. About half way through, he paused and realized something. "I'm the only one with the map." He looked at the faded scroll in his hand. This forest was acres long, and Xi Won had no map. "This isn't how you leave your partner." He mumbled and turned back.

"Boo." Voices shouted from the top of a tree. Tong turned up to see his classmates and cussed. "Got you." They grinned, and everything turned black.

---  
Xiang Wan stared down at the two sticks forming an X on the ground for a long time. It had almost been an hour since she split up from Tong, and she had seen this X at least six times. She was lost. Great. She looked up ahead at the fake camp base and muttered at the stupidity of setting up a fake situation like this. "This wouldn't happen in real life." She kept telling herself, deciding to go South East this time, and to NOT turn left. "Mock battlefields? Who does that?" she stomped around the area until she heard noises to the side. Ducking into the bushes, she looked up to see two of her classmates, both their arms linked with a figure with a heavy canvas bag draped over his head.

"I can't believe you were the first one caught, Tong." The fake guards laughed at him. "Where's your partner? Ran back scared?"

"Oh shut up." Tong stepped on one of their toes as they continued to walk. Xiang Wan clasped her hand over her mouth, remembering the words of their commander. Their graduation depended on this, and so far her team had not only deserted each other, now one of them was taken fake prisoner! "Oh great. Now I feel bad." She sighed. And decided to follow them to the base camp.

She hid behind a tree and watched them take him into the base. For a second she wondered if she really had to rescue you him, but was compelled by her genuine good heart, or guilt. One or the other.  
Xiang Wan scanned the area and noticed a really tall tree with branches that reached to the base walls. They were thin and small, but with sheer bravery and skill, she could make it. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the tree and climbed up all the way to the top. Hugging onto the tall tree, she put one foot on the branch and wrapped her arms around the trunk again in fright when it squeaked. "I can do this." She looked at the distance between the branch and the roof. Her eyes grew watery and she felt lightheaded. "No." she told herself, "He may have made my life horrible, but I'm not going to be the one responsible for him failing school." Counting to three, she took deep breaths and dashed across the branch, leaping at the very end when she felt the branch snap and fall onto the ground. Xiang Wan's fingers dug into the roof shingles, praying that they would not suddenly fall off. Mustering all the strength in her upper body, she pulled herself up and lied down on her back, tears of happiness streaming out of her eyes. "I didn't die." She whispered, "I didn't die!"

"Try to figure out what that sound is." Xiang Wan put her two hands over her mouth and laid very still. The sound of the branch falling had alerted the guards posted there and they were nearby. "Just the sound of this branch."

"Alright, let's continue to patrol."

"Did you hear we got Tong?"

"Really?" the other guard laughed, "That's not going to go well for him."

"Tell me about it, they put him in…." and the conversation died as they walked away. Xiang Wan cursed and looked around. If she was going to play fake hero, she was at least going to do it right the first time. The base was almost identical to the one they had arrived in when they got here, probably designed by the same people.

"If I figure out where I am…" she crawled like a snake towards on the roof, avoiding making any heavy movements or sounds. As long as she was in this position, she would be away from the lights. She noticed light at the room at the end of the roof she was on, so when she finally crawled her way there, she simply lifted the shingle off the roof and peered inside. No Ling Tong. Only the students who were playing the leaders, she was about to put the shingle back when she heard something interesting.

"How is it going to work? You're insane?"

"It's the only chance we got to get rid of Tong forever. If we take him out, Xun would probably withdraw. We could be the top scholars."

"It's not going to work, Tong and Xun have so many friends here. It's just."

"Listen, this is almost untraceable. Now that we only have Tong, we can say that he suddenly reacted like this and we couldn't find the new guy. They'll pin it on him, you remember how he first tried to kill the guy." Xiang Wan leaned her ear lower to get a better sound. "It's going to be fine, just put this in his food. He'll be dead within a day."

* * *


	8. Rescue

Sorry for the mini break. But I just had to suffer through a long heatwave. Hottest that's ever been here! Everyday it was almost 40 degrees. I know, some of you guys are like "Pff, weak Canadian." but I was just dying, no mood to do anything. Then I had to work...but I have my days off so tada! Thanks for the reads and kind comments, glad to hear from you guys anytime!! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Rescue

Xiang Wan's eyes were wide open, bewildered that such a thing could happen. She just couldn't believe that they'd try to kill him! What happened to the, they were comrades, they were brothers? What a load of bull. She bit on her lower lip and replaced the roof shingle back over the hole. She now had to think fast, how could she save him? Could she run back to the main camp and inform the commanders? No, there might not be enough time. Maybe she could ask for help from the other students, but what if they thought she was bluffing? After all, they were in a mock war. Looking down the roof, she heard sounds of the two guards, different from the ones earlier. These two she recognized very well, they were part of the small group that Tong and Xun always hung out with. They'd help her! Picking up a rock that was conveniently on the roof, she aimed it the guards head and threw it hard. Unfortunately it was a little too hard as she watched it strike one of the guards in the side of the forehead, knocking him cold. "Oh my God." Xiang Wan clasped her hands onto her mouth. The other guard looked up and opened his mouth to shout the words 'intruder' but she had already leapt off the roof and landed on top of him. His head hitting the ground in the process, "OH GOD." Xiang Wan winced, the only two people that could have helped her were now knocked out cold. What was she going to do now? An idea suddenly registered in her mind. She looked down at the specific uniform the two were wearing and decided to slowly strip off garments that she could use. Since she already knocked the two guys senseless, it would be just cruel if she left only one naked.

With a smidgen of dirt across her face, she walked into the base and looked around for any other familiar faces. The base was fairly quiet, as the night was slowly slipping away. "Hey," she grabbed a random student who was heading to rest for the night.

"Shin, is that you?" the student raised his eyebrow and said the name of the classmate knocked out by the rock. Xiang Wan was wearing his pendant across her neck, a gift from his mother. "What's with your voice and face?"

"Cold." The student shrugged at his reply. Thank goodness Shin was that rock type of person. "Where's Tong?"

"Didn't you arrest him?" Xiang Wan had forgotten that part.

"Was testing to make sure you knew." She quickly said something that was out of Shin's character, "Command from above." She added.

"Oh, well he's in the prisoners tent?"

"Which is…"

"To the left of here?" he raised his eyebrow, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Go to bed." She put all her strength in her arm to give the student the famous Shin backslap.

"Holy crap Shin, that stings." Xiang Wan winced. "I'm going to bed, go see a doctor." He mumbled and walked away. Thanking the Gods, Xiang Wan picked up her pace and rushed towards the prisoners tent. Two guards were sleepily in the front, but were surprised by her arrival.

"What are you doing here Shin?"

"Just checking on Tong."

"Your voice sounds messed."

"Can I go in?" she cleared her throat some more to mimic is raspy voice.

"Sorry, Li's inside."

"Inside?" she looked up in shock, "Now? With food?"

"Yeah? Tong has to eat." They laughed. Xiang Wan ignored them and pushed through the tent. "Hey!"

"Drop the bun!" she stomped in and shouted. Tong was sitting comfortably on a table across Li and Wang, a cup of tea in front of them all.

"Xi Won?" Tong raised an eyebrow, a bun was in his mouth and he said her name without biting it. She was a little confused onto why he could recognize her so quickly. Everyone had called her Shin.

"Drop it!" Xiang Wan ignored her thoughts. Rushing over and slapping the bun out of his mouth.

"How'd you get in?" Li got up quickly, knocking the tea over. "Wait aren't you Shin?"

"Seriously? He looks nothing like Shin." Tong rolled his eyes, "He's obviously Xi Won, Shin's a monster compared to him."

"That is not the point." Xiang Wan shouted, "He's trying to kill you!" All eyes went towards Li who laughed.

"Why would I kill him? This is a mock battle." He stuttered, "We were having tea, if you didn't notice. Right Wang?"

"I heard you!"

"Heard us?" they laughed, "Doing what?"

"Talking about wanting to poison Tong so you could knock him off top spot!"

"That's news to me."

"Xi Won, are you okay? This is a mock battle." Tong found the story a little strange. Xiang Wan shook her head,.

"I heard you two! You said you'd poison and kill him, then you'd blame it back on me!" "You are delusional." Li said, "Are you sure you didn't poison him earlier and is trying to put the blame back on us?"

"You…" Xiang Wan glared, "You believe me right, Tong?"

---  
Tong scratched his head at the sudden fight that was happening in front of him. Xi Won was looking at him directly, his face as serious as he had ever seen it. But he had no reason to believe this story, "We're comrades." He told him, "Why would they want to poison me?"

"So you believe them?"

"I don't believe that you're trying to poison me, why is anyone poisoned anyways?" Xi Won's fist tightened at his side and he stomped forward to the table and picked up the bun he knocked out of his mouth earlier.

"Fine. If you don't believe me!" he took a chomp of the bun and drained all the tea from his cup. Everyone watched in silence as the food slowly made its way down Xi Won's throat and began the process of digesting in his body.

"See, nothing happened." Wang said proudly. "Why would we poison Tong?"

"I heard you guys!" Xi Won continued, "I know what I heard!"

"I think you're crazy. That's what." Li smacked the table, "Let's go Wang, I'm reporting you to the academy tomorrow. You're insane." He pulled Wang and headed to the door, "Oh and this technically means we caught both of you. We win." He said proudly and walked out. Xi Won sat down on the table and blew a strand of hair from his face. Tong sat adjacent of him and studied him carefully.

"Is that Shin's necklace? How'd you get it?" Xi Won rolled his eyes and told them the story of how he knocked out his two friends. Laughing, Tong took the necklace back from Xi Won and put it in his breast pocket. "Thanks for coming back for me."

"We're partners." Xi Won rolled his eyes, "We're supposed to trust each other. I guess it's only one way."

"It's sort of hard to believe that my own friends would poison me, you have to understand that. I really wanted to trust you."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"To make up for what I did 10 years ago." He sighed, Xi Won looked up in a surprised fashion. "I was pretty horrible to you back then."

"Then why would you pretend not to remember me? Isn't that just as horrible?"

"Cause it reminds me of how much of an ass I was when we were younger. Being part of an army, especially in Wu, you really need to learn to count on each other, to help each other through thick and thin. But with you…I was just horrible." He took a deep breath as if he was taking in all his hidden emotions before saying, "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Xi Won nodded, a small smile forming on his face. He opened his mouth to say something when a quick pain shot through his abdomen.

"Xi Won?" Tong stood up.

"I was right." He grabbed on to the side of his stomach. His eyes grew watery and his face pale. "Told you so." He whispered before collapsing on the ground.

* * *

I'm sleepy. Good night!


	9. Revealed

I'M SORRY! But I've been swamped at work this entire month :). But my hours are shorter now, so hopefully I can get back on track. Thanks for the kind words and reviews! I don't usually reply to reviews, but I just want you all to know that I'm really REALLY **grateful** for them! Glad you're all enjoying this and thanks for being patient :).

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Chapters 8: Revealed

The room was a blur and her head was in a throbbing pain when she managed to open her eyes and stare up plain colored ceiling. She looked around her surroundings carefully and shot up from her bed, realizing that she was not in a familiar place. Xiang Wan noted a dim light coming from across the room, an unfamiliar figure was sitting at the table, going through documents. She made an uncomfortable cough and noted the figures head shoot up, revealing Lu Xun's tired but relieved face.

"You're up." He said, getting up from his desk.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Back at the original base, we had received notice about Wang's plans to rid of Tong. So we rushed here as fast as we could, when we did, you were on the ground."

"And I was brought here…"

"I'm the only medic on campgrounds." Xiang Wan raised an eyebrow, "I am what you call a prodigy." Xun seemed more embarrassed than proud to say it, "I got to study a lot of things on the side while growing up. Medicine is one of them."

"Wow." She swung her feet to the side and the blanket slipped onto the ground. It was the first time she had realized that she was not wearing the same clothes she was as before.

"Oh God." Her head shot up to Xun who tried to look away bashfully.

"I was going to wait to see if you wanted to mention it, before I did." He stuttered, "I'm the only one who knows about this, but how long are you going to hide the fact that you're a girl?"

---  
Tong felt sick to his stomach. The guilt, built up from years of silly pride was taking a toll on him. Xun had told him that Xi Won was okay, but it was just not a good enough answer. "Can't I see him?" he had asked his friend but for some reason he kept saying no, as if there was a terrible secret. Maybe he was really dead and Xun didn't want him to know? Or maybe he was alive and horribly pissed? His father had always passed on the words of keeping good relations with formidable people. Xi Won was formidable. Sometimes a little awkward, but he could hold his own, that's for sure. Plus, any man that was willing to eat a poisonous bun for him was good in his books. "Maybe I should just take a peek in the room." He stopped in his tracks, for he had been pacing outside the medic tent for the past hour. "Maybe just a peek…"

"Tong!" Someone shouted from behind him, "The Commander wants to speak to you, it's urgent."

---  
Xiang Wan and Xun sat across each other at the small table with a plate of mantous and a kettle of hot tea. Both of them had said nothing, waiting for each other to start the uncomfortable conversation. Xiang Wan was no more than embarrassed that Xun had found out and just a little violated since the only way he would have known was through the undressing process. Xun on the other hand was even more ashamed, and felt that it was in his best interest to keep his mouth shut for now. "Are you going to have to report this?" Xiang Wan finally found the courage to say.

"I probably will."

"Can you not?"

"Can you tell me who you really are?" Xiang Wan's mouth curved a little. Xun looked like a boy you could push around, but he was much smarter and more cunning than most people would assume.

"My name is Shen Xiang Wan." She began and started from the beginning. From being born in the same city, on the same day as Tong, being forced to be a male just to compete with her family's insane ego. Her escape from it all when she joined the Qiao's, to the angering meeting at the training grounds. Xun rubbed his forehead when she was finished, not knowing whether to believe her story or not.

"This sounds so…so…" he tried to rack his brain to find the correct words, "Well it feels like someone is writing a story." He put it bluntly.

"I know, it sounds stupid but this is why I'm here. I don't mean ill feelings towards Wu." Xun leaned back and thought for a few moments before making up his decision.

"I still can't have you stay in the academy. Don't you think it'd be best to just come clean?" Xiang Wan shrugged.

"I never intended to do much after training, I just wanted to prove to him that I was better."

"And by eating a poisonous bun proves this how?" His statement had caught her off guard. Xiang Wan turned red, prompting Xun to shake his head. "I think there is something more than you just trying to prove something to him."

"I doubt it." She quickly said, "How would you know?" her eyes narrowed, "Did you study human behavior during your spare time too?" Xun shrugged, not wanting to tell her that he actually did. "Fine." She crossed her arms, "When we get back, I will tell him the truth."

"Fair enough. Try to do it as discreet as possible though. I don't think other than Tong, we should have anyone know that you are really a girl."

"Xun! Xun!" someone banged on his door.

"What is it?" Xun and Xiang Wan both sprang to their feet., scrambling to hide her incase they came in.

"You have to come quick! There's bad news back home!" With Xiang Wan back in the bed and faking unconsciousness, Xun threw the doors open.

"What bad news?"

"General Ling was killed in battle."

"What?" Both Xun, and a springing up Xiang Wan said.

---  
"Tong?"

"TONG!" the small camp base was engulfed with chaos. After news broke about the death of Ling Cao, Tong had rushed out of the camp in disarray. Ignoring all his worried friends and comrades, he stomped out of the camp grounds, not telling anyone his destination point. Now everyone, whether they hated him or adored him searched throughout the huge terrain for him. After all, they were a family.

"Tong? Tong!" Xiang Wan shouted with Xun beside her, holding onto her arm as she hobbled around.

"You shouldn't be up, why don't you go rest?" Xun looked at her with concern, "It's too risky if you pass out again."

"I can't leave him like this." She found herself saying things she didn't understand herself, "I mean uh," she tried to clear up quickly. "We're comrades! Not for long now but still, I have to help."

"You're a strange one." Xun shook his head as they headed down towards the pond.

"Tong and I set up camp near here the other day…bingo!" she announced when she found some foot prints.

"But where do these go?" Xun asked, "Here sit down first." He helped her onto a log and then put his fingers in the soil, "Still fresh. He might be down there. I'll go check."

"Let me go too!"

"No." he warned her, "Just stay here incase he comes back."

"But…fine." She reluctantly said and watched him disappear down the track. Xiang Wan sat there for about ten minutes when she heard a rustling from the bushes. "Xun?" she called out when a figure stumbled out of the bushes. "Tong!" Xiang Wan said in relief, "Where have you been?" she asked but had noticed something different about him.

"Hey. You're okay, Xi Won." Tong smiled, zig zagging across to where she was. She was quick to note the bottle of wine in his hand. "Want some?" he pushed the brown jar towards her, "Oops. Empty." He flipped it over and threw it to the side.

"How'd you get the wine?"

"I'm not the best infiltrator for nothing." He hiccupped, throwing his hands in the air and flopping to sit beside her.

"Everyone was really worried, they're looking for you everywhere."

"They'll be fine." She had noticed he had not mentioned the death of Ling Cao.

"About your father…"

"I'll be fine." He put his hand up in the air to stop her, "I'll be fine." He said again and again and again. Each time his voice shaking. He took a deep breath, "I'm the man of the family now!" he said out loud, "No tears. That's what my father would say."

"Tong…"

"But if I find out who did this, I'll just." He said very sternly at first but ended it with a giggle

"How much did you drink?" she asked, "Your face is really…"

"Just that one bottle." He leaned closer to her and whispered, "I'm not really that much of a drinker."

"No kidding…" she tried to lean back but found no room. Tong scanned her face a little longer.

"You know what…Xi Won…"

"What?"

"You…really…look…like…a…girl…" his head swayed for a bit before it dropped right onto Xiang Wan's chest. "Pretty." He mumbled, before falling asleep.

"Hey, I couldn't find him." Xun, with his perfect timing walked up the path, "Holy crap what just happened?"

"It's…it's nothing!" Xiang Wan screeched, throwing Tong off her body and watching him roll into the dirt in a soft slumber.


	10. Believe

This chapter is probably very dry, but I needed something to set up the next few scenes :D. So bare with me hoho, thanks for the comments and reads!

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Chapter 9: Believe

"What are you thinking? You're insane for going with this." Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao said to Xiang Wan. They had returned from the training session just the night before, where Xiang Wan had told the other two Qiao's of the events that happened. "The gig is up already!" Da tried to reason with her, "There's no need for you to go to Yuhuang!"

"Yeah!" Xiao backed her sister up, "Da and I can set it up, we can send you back and you can come back as Xiang Wan if you please. No need to lie anymore!" The words barley got to Xiang Wan as she tied a tight knot on her bag and swung it behind her shoulder.

"Xiang Wan!" Da stood in front of her and put her arms up, "Why are you going to Yuhuang?" With sad, regretful eyes Xiang Wan looked up and softly said,

"Man or woman, he needs someone…" she lied about the fact that she needed him.

---  
That night after Xun and Xiang Wan managed to drag the drunken Tong back to the camp, she stayed by his side the entire time, partially because there was only one medical tent and he needed the bed more than she did. "He's just drunk." Xun had said when he finished his check up, "You can take my bed." He said to her.

"No. I…I want to stay here."

"Xi Won…"

"Don't, don't look into this." She glared, "My family have been rivaling with the Ling's for generations but I always found it silly…" she sighed, "To see anyone lose their Father, it hurts."

"I know what you mean." Xun sighed, the feeling buried deep into his heart as well. "Very well, I'll be over on that side. Just call if you need anything."

"Thanks." She grabbed a stool and sat beside him, her head resting on her hand. Yawning, she studied Tong's features very carefully and noticed him stir frequently, followed by small grunts and growls. "Bad dream." She took her hand and stroked his face gently, "We all get them at first." She whispered, "But it ends. It ends." She closed her eyes and rested her hand on his cheek.

Tong woke up with the world pounding beside him. He growled and sat up from his bed, noticing Xi Won on the ground beside his cot, slumped in a small ball. "Did he stay up with me the whole night?" he thought it odd, but then he heard the familiar sound of Xun's loud snoring. "Probably just avoiding that horrendous sound." He slowly stepped over him and stumbled to the table, pouring himself a glass of tea.

"You're up?" Xi Won had spooked him from behind.

"Oh, good morning." He poured him a glass of tea, "Why were you on the ground?"

"One medical tent, two cots."

"Xun's the medic, he would have given it to you."

"Um." Xi Won stuttered, "He's has seniority." He changed the subject right after, "How are you feeling?"

"Better." He lied.

"I know how it feels." He suddenly said, Tong suddenly remembered the incident with Xi Won's father during the rebellion.

"Your father…I'm so sorry about that." Xi Won faked a laugh.

"It gets better Tong, it really does."

"You…were never at his funeral." Xi Won looked up, his eyes suddenly turning bright red.

"How did you know?"

"The rivalry was between the elder generation, your father was an admirable man. He deserved the respect from everyone in our city."

"I was away when it happened." He held his breath, "It's what made me want to train to be better."

"Is that why you joined the academy?" There was a hesitant response,

"I guess." Their uncomfortable silence was lifted when the snoring stopped and Xun made his way towards them.

"Morning." He yawned, "How you feeling?" he asked Tong.

"I'm fine. Sorry about last night."

"It's fine. What are your plans?"

"I'll be heading over to Yuhuang."

"Want me to come?" Xun asked him.

"We have a campaign coming up, it'd be best if you stayed."

"Let…let me come then."

"Xi Won?"

"You paid respect to my father, it's the least I can do for yours. I want this rivalry to end also."

---  
"Oh Xiang Wan," Xiao frowned, "Don't tell me you're falling for him."

"I'm not!" she stuttered, "I never got to see my father off…I haven't seen my mother in ages…it's just."

"I understand." Da held onto her hand, "Just remember to take care and becareful alright?" They gave her a hug and watched her walk out of the room. Da and Xiao sat beside each other in the empty room and sighed.

"I think we've made a huge mistake Xiao." Da said, "We should have never let her join the academy."

"Do you think…" Xiao said quietly, "We should tell our husbands?"

"I think that's the smartest thing you've ever said." Da sighed, "Let's go to them."

The two sisters hurried over to the grand court where Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were having a private meeting between the two of them. After the announcement of the sisters, they entered the room and bowed to their respective spouses.

"What can I do for you two lovely ladies today?" Sun Ce said with a grin, "What's wrong my dears? You look very upset."

"My lord." Da bowed down, "I think Xiao and I have caused a big problem."

"I'm so sorry!" Xiao suddenly said, tears rolling down. Yu quickly approached his petite wife.

"What's wrong? Tell me?" he tried to calm her down. Ce stepped down from his throne and approached his wife.

"Da, Xiao, explain to us." Da held her breath and began to tell their tale from start to finish. When she was finished, their husbands expression had not changed.

"It was about time you told us." Ce chuckled a little.

"What?" The two Qiao's were thrown off track.

"I knew Xi Won was Lady Shen." Yu said, "The rest of the kingdom may have only seen her once, but we've met her a few times to recognize her face."

"But…why did you let her join the acaemdy?"

"Why not?" Ce added, "She's a formidable sniper. Almost as good as Xun." The two men nodded.

"But…she went in as a boy."

"I assumed she had her own reasons." Yu said, "Plus, you two didn't seem too worried."

"But now it is a problem!" Xiao exclaimed, "I'm afraid things are going to turn sour."

"Xiao, you and Da tried to convince her did you not?"

"Yes."

"Then it is Xiang Wan's choice now. You should believe in her."

"Plus." Ce held onto his wifes hand, "Tong's a good man."

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	11. Been So Long

Sorrrrrry for the slacking. But school started again and I'm already 3 weeks behind HAHA! But on the brightside, while I am doing my papers, I usually slack off and write this instead. So. TA-DA~

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Chapter 10: Been So Long

They had arrived early in the morning by carriage. A small funeral had been held at the capital but it was the job of Tong to bring the ashes back to be buried beside with his ancestors. Tong had been holding up slowly, his face growing wearier by the end of their four day trip. With every city they stopped in, or every road side break they had, there was nothing but honor and praise for Ling Cao and the things he had done for Wu. It was just a shame that Tong had to bare a straight face the entire time, holding back his tears and his shared sentiments about the man he respected the most.

Xiang Wan had been by his side the entire time, as Xi Won of course. She had to remember her place as the male best friend. Only standing a distance away and making sure he did not break. The words of Xiao Qiao had been playing in her mind throughout the trip but she chose to push it as far as she could. For now, it was not about her and what she felt. It was about caring for a man that lost his father. It was a feeling that she knew once before.

Yuhuang was a small city, not known for much other than Ling Cao and his family. The Shen's had slowly faded away from the map after the death of Xiang Wan's father, with them only being known for their family business of cloth weaving. Xiang Wan's younger brother, Xi Wen was the head of household and ran the family business with great honor. He was amazing for his age, and surely the most respected business man in Yuhuang. "Yuhuang is very different now." Tong said softly when they got to the gates. The Prefect of the city, Lord Ma was there to greet them.

"Master Ling, we have been expecting you." He bowed, "I am sorry for your loss. Your father was a prize to our city." Tong bowed in returned, something he had been doing all week. "This must be your guest."

"This is Shen Xi Won of the Shen household." Tong told him, prompting the Prefects eyes to grow round.

"Is there something wrong?" Xiang Wan raised an eyebrow, "I have not been back to my city in many years, but I do not suppose much has changed."

"That my lord, is something for you to see." He pointed towards the city, "Please, you must be tired from your trip Come to my estate and we shall prepare food and beds for the night."

"I think I will visit my family first." Xiang Wan suddenly said, she had not planned this earlier, but the words of Prefect Ma gave her an unsettling feeling. "Is that okay with you Tong?"

"I'll be fine." He nodded, his eyelids drooping, "I will be resting at Prefect Ma's home then." She bowed to them as they walked off with their luggage. Xiang Wan took a deep breath and went through the shortcut path she had ran through as a child when she was running late for class. It lead to the back gate of the Shen estate, where her room was conveniently located nearby.

The back of her home still looked the same, with the rusted back gate and dull colored walls. She could hear the familiar sounds of her nanny Xing Li cooking in the kitchen. Following the sounds of the pattering pans, she made her way into the kitchen and stuck her head in. Xing Li had grown older in the past ten years, but she was still the same as ever. With her tall stature but gentle features, she was Xiang Wan's best friend. "Who are you?" Someone screamed from behind her, prompting everyone in the kitchen to pause and stare. No one seemed to have recognized her as panic ensured.

"Get the guards!"

"Protect the children!"

"Call Master Shen!"

"QUIET!" Xing Li shouted, forcing everyone to stop in their tracks. "Are you all fools?" she snapped at them. "Prepare a room, call Lady Shen home!" she opened her arms and walked towards Xiang Wan, "Tell her, Master Xi Won is home."

---  
Tong walked over to the guest bed and flopped straight down. He had not gotten much rest for the past few days and it was nice to finally be in a semi-secluded area. His family had moved closer to the capital after the war, only leaving the ancestral burial grounds in the city. The city had not changed much though. It was a small, industrial town, known for the famous silk worm habitat where the most beautiful of gowns could be created. They thrived during the warm days, and suffered during the cold. But other than that, it was a small, quiet city that took pride in their master and unique stitches. A small knock was heard from the door and Tong sprung up from his bed. "Come in." the doors opened and a beautiful young maiden peeked her head in.

"Gong Ji?" her voice, tender and sweet as her big, beautiful eyes blinked at him. "Is it really you?" the door flew open.

"Jing Yi." Tong stood up in defense, making sure there was a table lengths between them. Ma Jing Yi was Prefect Ma's prized daughter. She was three years younger than Tong, but acted like a child. She was beautiful, considering the genes she spawned from but she was very _special_. All their lives, Jing Yi had professed her love for Tong and he had a few good years of avoiding her when they moved.

"I'm so sorry about your Father."

"Thank you." He took a step back when she stepped forward.

"I'm a changed girl now, Gong Ji. I know how much you like calmer women."

"Of course." Tong said, tongue in cheek.

"There'll be a banquet tonight. You will attend right?"

"Of course." He smiled meekly. "But I'm tired right now so…"

"Of course!" she squealed, "I have to get ready, oh my goodness!" she ran out, leaving the doors wide open.

"Crap, did I just agree to go with her?" Tong asked himself, "I'll introduce her to Xi Won…"

---

Xing Li and Lady Shen could not believe their ears and eyes as they listened to Xiang Wan's tale of joining the Wu army. Shaking their heads, Xing Li grabbed onto her hands, "You are so stupid, child!" she exclaimed.

"Well, that Ling boy is a very good man." Lady Shen smiled.

"What are you saying?" Xiang Wan snapped.

"Your mother is saying, that you've taken a liking to the young man."

"I have not." She gave a disgusted look. "I wanted to prove to him that I was better than him."

"And accompanying him here does this how?"

"I was…here to see you." She ended sarcastically. "I'm not having anymore of this conversation." She got up to leave but was quickly forced back down.

"Your brother can't know you're here."

"Why?"

"Because you are still the heir to this estate." Xing Li explained, "Your little brother has down a good job in running the business, this would just drive him insane."

"I haven't seen him for ten years…does he not know I'm a girl?"

"There are some things that your father wanted to keep forever." Lady Shen rolled her eyes, "God bless that mans soul."

"So what? I can't stay in here, I have to back to Gong Ji." She noticed the strange looks, "Stop looking at me like that!" she scolded them.

"There is a ball tonight to welcome back Gong Ji."

"Only him?"

"No one remembers you child." Xing Li laughed, "Which is perfect, you should go to the party as Xiang Wan."

"That makes no sense." She crossed her arms, "Xi Won and Xiang Wan are engaged, it'd be weird for one to show up and the other to…" she paused and repeated what she said in her head. "What did I get myself into?" she sighed, defeated.

"Don't worry, with a little help of your dear Xing Li, I'll get everything set up." Her smile was unsettling to Xiang Wan. "Mistress Shen, you can finally take your little girl to the ball. As a girl." She said proudly. Both Lady Shen and Xiang Wan looked at each other. This will not bode well, they telephatically agreed.

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Thanks again for all the suppot!


	12. Moonlight

THIS IS WHY I SHOULD NEVER WRITE. I AM SORRY! HAHA...HAHA...HAHA...I had to re-read my story. If anyone was waiting for an update, I APOLOGIZE AND THIS IS FOR YOU!!

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Chapter 11: Moonlight

"What do you mean Xi Won isn't here?" Tong stood outside the Shen gates, talking to a strange woman.

"Well you see, Xi Won's fiancé is here." This fact interested Tong a bit, "And she forgot some stuff, so Xi Won, being the gentlemen he is, rode off to get it for her."

"Doesn't she live really far away?"

"He said he'd meet you back at Wu, and he was terribly sorry." She produced a letter to him.

"I guess that guy really does love her." Tong smiled to himself and took the letter. The contents of it were quite simple, an explanation and an apology. "I guess I'll head over to the banquet on my own then."

"Have fun, Master Ling." The woman smiled strangely. Tong raised an eyebrow and walked away, cursing Xi Won's name.

"Now I'm stuck with the crazy girl." He said.  
---

"Are you sure about this?" Xiang Wan held onto her mothers arm, "No one has heard of me before, it'll be so weird."

"They've heard of Xi Won, and you're Xi Won's fiancé that's here to visit her future mother in law. What is so weird about that?"

"So many lies…" she sighed.

"You're the one who started it young lady. If you just stuck to who you were in the first place-"

"I know. I know." She didn't want her mother to nag her anymore.

"I do worry for you sometimes child." Her mother said in a change of tone, "You're just like your father. Always hiding your true self, never wanting to show the world who you are…" she paused, "Well in your fathers case, who you were." They shared a small laugh.

"I promise, once I get back to camp, I'm going to put this entire thing to rest. There will be no more Shen Xi Won."

"Good." The carriage stopped and the bearer knocked on the door slightly.

"We have arrived, Mistress and Lady Shen."  
---

Tong had been there since the festivities had started, being the guest of Prefect Ma and all. The entire night, he had dodged left and right, playing a cruel game of hide and seek with the crazed Lady Ma, who had luckily been dragged off by her mother. He had also met a lot of his father's old friends, who shared condolences and stories of him. It was fascinating to him of how much of an impact his family had to this town, even though he had few recollections of himself. "I just remember your father always fighting with the Shen's."

"May those two rustle a few feathers in their afterlife." Someone joked and laughter was spread around the small circle.

"Lord Ma, Mistress Shen is here." A servant whispered to the Prefect.

"Excuse me." He smiled and went to greet his new guest. Tong stretched his neck and noted the small and stout lady. Even though his family and the Shen's had been rivals, his mother and Mistress Shen were best of friends. Catching eyes with the woman, he was distracted by another familiar face beside her. Wearing a beautiful gown that he'd only expect the Qiao's to wear, Lady Shen Xiang Wan was bowing to Prefect Ma and being introduced to various male eyes that laid on her.

"You remember my son, Xi Won?" Mistress Shen spoke of the son that the town had not seen for years and years. "When he went to study, he met Xiang Wan," the two women had their arms hooked with each other as if they were mother and daughter. "They're engaged." She said, Tong noticed a forced smile.

"That is such a shame." He heard other men say and whisper amongst themselves before returning to their previous engagement.

"She's not married yet." Others whispered, continuing to stare. "There's still a chance." Tong watched Xiang Wan's head dip down as if she was embarrassed, but noticed her eyes dart around curiously as if she was looking for someone. When her eyes faced him, he had felt he looked straight at them, but shook the idea off right away.

"So where is the guest of honor?" Mistress Shen asked Prefect Ma, and the trio soon found their way over to them.

"Mistress Shen, it's been a long time." Tong put on a smile and bowed to the woman.

"Oh look at you," Mistress Shen beamed, "How is your mother? She left after the news and I had not heard from her."

"Thank you, and she is doing well."

"I will want to come and visit her, but you know with the war and everything." She shook her head sadly, "Oh, you've met Xi Won's fiancé right?" Tong nodded.

"It's nice to see you again Lady Shen." The girl returned a smile and nodded.

"Same here." She said softly, with a sound of familiarity.

"So Lady Shen, where do you hail from?" The other bachelors of the town were quick to jump at her.

"Boys! Boys!" Mistress Shen scolded, "This is my sons fiancé, and the fiancé of Gong Ji's good friend." She smiled widely at him. "I think I should leave you to guard her, dear."

"Mot-Mistress Shen!" Xiang Wan stuttered, "That is unnecessary, I would just like to accompany you." Her eyes were in a straight line as she stared at the woman.

"No-no. I'm just going to be with the other parents, talking about parent things. Marriage, grandchildren, aches and pains, nothing you'd be interested in." Mistress Shen then unlinked their arms. "Gong Ji, today you will stand in for Xi Won." What she did next shocked the entire group surrounding them. Mistress Shen took Xiang Wan's hand and placed it on top of Tong's.

"Mistress Shen!" the two young ones quickly said and retracted their hands. Mistress Shen let out a cackle.

"Take good care of her." She smiled and hurried away to the wives table.

"I always thought that woman was a little strange." Voices whispered left and right. Tong noticed the annoyance in Xiang Wan's face and smiled. In return, she looked up and their eyes connected this time for sure. Yet it wasn't anything special, it was more of a childish, smirking look they gave each other. As if they were telepathic, the two quickly agreed to their next course of action.

"Let us get out of here." Tong said and pointed towards the empty and dark gardens of the estate with his palm, "Shall we, my lady?"

"It will be my pleasure." She placed her hands on his open hand, and the two disappeared into the darkness.

"Oh wait until Lady Ma hears about this." The aristocrats gasped and started the grape vine.  
---

Xiang Wan had not realized they were still holding hands until they walked into the Ma's large floral garden. "Sorry." Tong quickly said placed his hand behind his back.

"It's fine." She bent down to examine the flowers, trying to hide her embarrassment of what just happened. The two of them continued like this in silence for a bit, until Xiang Wan found the courage to speak to him. "How is Xi Won doing at Wu?" she asked, biting her tongue on not knowing what else to talk about. _Great, just great Xiang Wan. Talk about your fake fiancé who is really yourself, you freak. _

"He's a great guy. Saved my life." Tong sat down on the stone bench and watched her, the gleam of the moonlight shining gently on the side of her face.

"Oh?" she tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. "Sounds like him."

"He…really cares about you." Xiang Wan was a little surprised on that statement. She didn't recall saying anything about Xiang Wan as Xi Won.

"Does he?" she turned around, trying to be the puppy love girl she was supposed to be. "What does he say?"

"He…doesn't say much." He chuckled, "But I can tell he really dotes on you." Xiang Wan pursed her lips together. She knew what he was doing, he was trying to get points for him.

"Sounds like him." She let out a strange laugh. As much as she appreciated what Tong was doing, it was quite awkward for her to hear this.

"I was really surprised when he joined our team." Tong changed the subject, to another subject about Xi Won. Now she really regretted bringing it up. "More surprised that he was your fiancé though."

"Well um." She turned back towards the flowers, "It's not set in stone." She heard no reply from Tong and panicked. "I, I don't mean it like that!" she quickly turned around, her face flushed. "I mean we're engaged to get married, not married yet. Just…I wasn't implying anything." Tong cleared his throat and nodded. _What is wrong with me? _She looked down at the ground. "I…I can't wait until I get married." She added. _Is marrying yourself even legal? _She wondered to herself.

"I'll be looking forward to that day." Their conversation grew quiet once again.

"I'm…sorry about your father." She brought up. _Think before you speak Xiang Wan! You idiot...who goes from that conversation to this?_

"Um. Thank you."

"I mean I know it's weird but I just wanted to let you know." She laughed nervously. "Xi Won spoke to me earlier, and he told me how sad you seem."

"I'm fine."

"Xi Won knows how you feel. He lost his father at a young age too."

"I know. I was at Master Shen's funeral." Xiang Wan had forgotten about that.

"Xi Won was very heartbroken about the news, but he just couldn't step away."

"He was a good man, he was a hero." Tong smiled to see Xiang Wan's eyes water. "Lady Shen?"

"Hm?" she wiped it away, "I just wished Xi Won could see his father one last time."

"Me too."

"You…knew Xi Won before right?"

"We were born on the same day." He said, something that she had heard many times in the past few days. "Guess you can call it fate that we'd be stuck with each other again." Xiang Wan couldn't help but smile a bit at that statement. "Let's head back in." he said to her, "I think we've scared the nobles enough for a day with our scandals." She stood up and laughed.

"I was enjoying it too."

"Me too." They both laughed, which slowly turned into a silent stare. Xiang Wan looked away quickly.

"Let's head back." She reminded him, and started walking ahead first.

Tong stayed back for a few seconds trying to catch his breath. _I can't do this._ He told himself, _I can't. Xi Won's saved my life. _


	13. Question

WHOA TWO IN ONE DAY! I am in a creative mood today! But it is 2:30 am soon and I am dying. So I apologize for my long delays, and here is another chapter for you! Thanks for reading and GOOD NIGHT!!

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Chapter 12: Question

After the basic funeral ceremony at the temple, it was up to Tong to take the ashes he had brought with him to the Ling family burial site. It was located outside of the city, where many of the elite families had chosen their burial grounds. It would be a small one day journey, but it lasted from dawn to night. It was a quiet and safe journey, where most people found as a small pilgrimage in honor of their loved one.

Originally Tong was going to go with Xi Won, but due to the circumstances, he had no one to help him carry supplies. Tong was fine with that though, but was surprised at a very strange request before he was about to set out.

"I know it's awkward for me to say this." Xiang Wan showed up outside the gates, dressed in peasant clothes. "Can I accompany you to the burial grounds?"

"I don't think that's very appropriate." He quickly said.

"I know…but I…feel bad. I mean. Xi Won was supposed to go with you, but I sent him on some errand and…"

"I'm fine by myself. The journey is short but tough."

"Are you doubting me?" she raised an eyebrow, "I obviously felt I proved myself that day." Tong noticed how strange it was that she'd flare up just as easily as Xi Won when questioned about skill.

"I do not mean any disrespect. It is just…"

"Please." She looked sad suddenly. "The Shen burial ground is next to the Ling's, and Xi Won was going to visit his father for the first time before I came."

"He's never come back before?"

"Never…and I don't know when the next time is. So I want to do it for him, his father should know that Xi Won cares." Tong didn't know what to say to that excuse, he could never question honor.

"And Mistress Shen knows about this?" A smile appeared on Xiang Wan's face as she nodded enthusiastically. "Very well." He said, "Can you hold the food?"

"I'll be glad to." She said

---

"Do you need to rest?" Tong asked Xiang Wan for the umpteenth time that day.

"I'm fine." She told him, not breaking a sweat. "Are you the one who needs to rest?" she teased. Tong laughed, the girls from her town were certainly raised differently. "What are you laughing at?"

"I just find you fascinating." He continued up the hill, but couldn't hear the sound of her feet following. "Lady Shen?"

"I'm, I'm coming." She quickly looked up and ran up.

"You're all red, are you okay?" Xiang Wan put her hands on her face and cussed under her breath.

"I'm fine," she said, "Let us keep moving." The remainder of their hike was silent. This was understandable as this was a very serious time in anyone's life as they were making this journey. Xiang Wan watched as Tong climbed up the path, the urn in his hands, the determination on his face. If only she could hear what his mind was thinking.

---

As the eldest child, she would have been the one in charge of the journey…if she was Xi Won. Rightfully, it was done by her younger brother and she could never imagine what was in his mind. Her mother had mentioned that her younger brother felt resentment for Xi Won, which was another reason why they had to send her…him away. It was understandable, Xi Ren still believed he had an older brother. That he had an older brother that abandoned him and his family when they needed her…him the most. "Ugh." Xiang Wan suddenly muttered, prompting Tong to look back in panic.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.

"No." she apologized.

"Is something on your mind?" he asked when they continued their walk again.

"Do…do you have any siblings Master Ling?"

"Nope. But I do consider one of my comrades as one, in a weird way." Xiang Wan guessed it was Xun. "Do you?"

"I do." She said. "But he doesn't know that I exist." Tong returned a confused look. Xiang Wan cursed and tried to think of a reason.

"I have been with the Qiao's all my life. Never really spent time with my own family. So…the Qiao's are my family really."

"Two sisters like that." He smiled. "Lucky girl." And their conversation died again.

---

It was now getting cooler into the day when they arrived at the burial sites. Giant temple like structures were erected in honor of the elite families who helped found the city. Generations of Ling's, Ma's, Shen's and various elites were housed here, to be protected, to protect. The temple was shared by all these families, with separate wings branching depending on the familial name. Tong and Xiang Wan arrived to the split between the Shen's and the Tong's, both finding it ironic that they even rivaled each other in death.

"I guess I will be heading this way." Xiang Wan said softly, "Shall we meet here when we are done?"

"Very well." Tong said and watched her hurry into the dark corridors. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the Tong wing. He passed by a man, who served the temple as its cleaner. Making sure the spirits were happy. They made a quick bow to each other before the man walked away. Would Lady Shen be alright? He suddenly thought the bad, but shook the thoughts away. They were in a sacred place, nothing would happen to her. Tong continued farther and farther down the corridor until he arrived at the proper place. Right next to his grandfather, Tong pulled out a plaque from his breast pocket and fastened it to it's rightful place. "May you find happiness in your next life Father." He prayed after putting the urn down. "I will take care of Mother, I will be loyal to Wu. I will avenge your death." He closed his eyes and prayed.

"Master Ling." Someone said, Tong turned around to see an elderly gentlemen, "I heard you were coming in today." He walked up and bowed to the new resident of the temple.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the keeper of this temple." Tong blinked.

"Are you the only one?"

"I do not see anyone else who would want to do this job."

"What about that man earlier?"

"What man?" the elderly man looked confused, "We rarely get visitors here other than family." Tong recalled what that man earlier was wearing, he was not of an elite family. "Master Ling?"

"Did you visit the Shen's corridor?"

"No, but I saw someone walk in."

"A woman or a man?"

"A man." Before he could ask why, Tong had sprinted out of the area.

--

Xiang Wan took small baby steps through the Shen's corridor. She had been here many times as a child, during holidays and days of remembrance. The last funeral initiation was of her Grandmothers, and she could remember herself crying, or wanting to. Her father had whispered in her ears strictly, "Boys don't cry." He would say over and over again. Her mind bounced around to all those moments in her childhood, of her father stripping away her identity. Forcing her to be something she wasn't for some silly rivalry. She suddenly felt angry and confused. Why was she here? Not physically in the temple, but why was she at this state where everything was a lie. Xiang Wan looked up and noticed that she had already arrived in the room with all the plaques and urns. Her fathers was the most recent one laid on the table, even after five years, it looked new. She stepped up to the plaque and traced her fingers through her family name, and then through his. "I should hate you." She whispered. "I should hate everything about you for making what I am." Her voice jiggled as she strained to keep her emotions intact. "When you were alive you tortured me mentally, yet even dead you do the same." She closed her eyes. "I wanted to come say good bye to you. As a girl. To show you that I wasn't a boy. That I could cry. That I could do what girls do." Tears managed to squeeze through. "But because I knew how much it would have hurt you. I instead pretended you were someone else, watching over me." She took one deep breath, "I'm done lying." She said, "I'm done with these daddy issues." She laughed at herself, "Rest in peace, Father." Xiang Wan stepped back, feeling a huge package was taken from her shoulders. Satisfied, she dabbed her eyes and prepared to walk back when she heard the sound of footsteps heading her way…

Tong hurried and ran through the Shen's corridor when he heard a large crash and a scream. He picked up his speed and arrived at the main room where he saw the man from earlier. He had knocked over a potted plant off the table, one of the large shards in his hands as a weapon. Xiang Wan had her arms stretched out in front of her, protecting the shrines. "Gong Ji!" she shouted. Tong paused for a second, thinking it odd that she would call him that. But it was no time to ponder that, as the man turned around and panicked. Dropping the shard, he charged towards Tong and knocked him down, escaping through the corridor. Xiang Wan ran up to Tong, "Are you alright?" she freaked, patting his arm and body for any wounds.

"He dropped the glass, I'm fine."

"Oh."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why are you over here?" Tong explained about meeting the elderly man.

"You saved my life." Xiang Wan sighed a huge sigh of relief. _At least we're even now._ She thought to herself. "Let's get back to the city. Can you walk?"

"Yeah." He got up, "Let's go."

---

It had bothered Tong ever since they left the temple and started their trek down the hill. The way she called out his name in the corridor was very comforting…unsettling and familiar. Was he hanging around her too much and just had her in his mind at all times? No, that couldn't be it. He watched as she carefully walked down the hill, she reminded him of someone. She reminded him of Xi Won. Now that the resemblance was in his mind. Everything else started clicking for him suddenly. The shyness, the outburst, the knowledge she had of Xi Won. It was too coincidental, they looked so much alike. They shared the same last name, similar pronunciation of the name…Tong shook his head. That was silly, who would, why would? Then he was reminded about last night, the way Mistress Shen acted, the way the woman at the Shen household acted. There was something up. Something sadistic. Cruel. Something he wasn't going to like if he confronted.

"Are you okay?" Tong had not realized she had stopped walking and was stopped abruptly by her. Their faces were close enough to each other to feel the heat. Tong looked closer. There were the eyes. There were those lips, that nose.

"Are you…are you Xi Won?"

Xiang Wan's eyes widened and she grew bright red. How did he, what did he. She was confused, flustered, embarrassed. She didn't know what to reply. Was it a joke? No, his voice was too serious. What was she going to say? "Are you, Xi Won?" he repeated his question. Xiang Wan's eyes darted left and right as she began to stutter. She was just all high and mighty about letting go and being herself, but she was a coward. She still couldn't do it. "." she stuttered stepping backwards and forgetting that she was on a hill. With one misstep, Xiang Wan felt her life flash past her eyes as she tumbled down the mountain side.

* * *

LESSON OF THE DAY: DO NOT HAVE SERIOUS CONVERSATIONS ON HILLS!  
Sorry for the cliffhanger hoho, see you all soon (I hope).


	14. You are

Well. The number of comments made me very happy, but also I felt twice as bad for leaving you all for so long. I'M SORRRY!!! SO HERE IS A PRESENT FOR YOU ALL!!  
But my semester is almost over, so I can probably get to writing a lot more again. :)

* * *

Chapter 13: You are...

He was just as fast, side stepping down the hill, calling after her name. She had slipped and began to roll down the side of the hill area. Luckily for both of them, the land was growing more flat, even though they were getting farther and farther from their original path. Xiang Wan had screamed at first, eventually throwing her heads above her head as she rolled over pebbles, twigs and whatever excrement were lying in the dirt. Finally their adventure seemed to be over as a large tree was there to stop her from rolling. Tong winced at the sound her arm made when it made contact with the tree and she let out an exasperated cry. "Xiang Wan!" he skidded to a stop and quickly bent down beside her. The poor girls clothes were torn, as seeps of blood and scratches appeared all over her body. "Are you okay?" he asked, knowing the answer already. Tears flowed down her face as she shook her head, "Don't move!" he told her, afraid of internal damage or broken bones. Quickly he tried to remember his first aid training with Xun, "I'm going to roll you flat okay?" she nodded and groaned as he moved her gently. "I'm going to see if anything is broken, do you understand me?"

"Yes." She stuttered out. Tong nodded and took her hand.

"I want you to move your fingers one by one." He commanded, then he went onto her left hand, her right foot and her left foot. "I'm going to have to apply pressure in some areas of your body…" he tried not to look uncomfortable with doing so.

"Pretend." She said through her labored breathing, "That I'm Xi Won." Tong shook his head and felt that was even more uncomfortable. Gathering his courage, he began to apply pressure to her shoulder first, and slowly the rest of her body.

"Nothings broken." He announced, relieved. "Are you in a lot of pain right now?" she shook her head, "It's probably from the shock. We should stay here for the night."

"But…"

"We'll just tell them we stayed at the temple, it's fine." He got up to walk away but she tugged onto the hem of his pants. "I'm not going anywhere." Xiang Wan shook her head, not convinced. Tong sighed and sat down beside her, "We'll just stay like this, okay?" He took her fingers and pried them loose from his pants. Instead, her fingers slowly grabbed onto his and refused to let go even after a few tugs. "Go to sleep." Tong told her, defeated.

---

Waking up and withering in pain, Xiang Wan opened her eyes not to see the blue sky. Instead she saw the dimness of the familiar ceiling in her room. Confused, she felt a strange grip on her fingers and looked beside her to see Tong slumped back in a chair, snoring ever so gently. What had happened? She wondered to herself. She only remembered parts of the incident at the temple, the confrontation on the hill and the death defying tumble. Xiang Wan tried to get up but felt all her strength seep away, replaced by aching muscles and broken bones. Her other hand was thrown into a tight sling, and her left ankle was wrapped heavily in gauze. "You're up?" he yawned, "Oh you finally let go." He saw her limped fingers and retracted his hands, throwing them in the air to stretch. "How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Like I just rolled down a hill."

"Glad to know you still have your humor." He smirked. "You must be wondering why you're here?" she nodded. "Well, I couldn't get you to wake up the next morning. So I panicked and carried you home. We called a doctor, he said you were just passed out from the eventual pain, your body was scared or something." He laughed, "But they did the doctorly things, patched you up and here you are."

"And you're here because?"

"For some reason," Tong scratched the back of his head, "Your fingers were like fused around mine. We couldn't tug them off." Xiang Wan looked at her clothes and realized she wasn't wearing the torn peasant uniform anymore. "Don't worry, your nanny lady made sure I didn't look."

"So you met them…" Xiang Wan didn't want to hide the fact that she knew his secret.

"I didn't tell them." She cocked her head a bit. "That you're Xi Won. Xi Won is you." He wasn't even sure what he was saying himself. "You almost died and fell down a cliff. It wasn't the time to bring it up."

"Thank you." Tong seemed to have disregarded that comment.

"Really seems like someone was protecting you though. Anyone would have died falling like that." He told her. "Oh, I should tell your family you're up, then head back. The Ma's must be wondering what happened." Tong looked at her for a lingering moment before he sighed. "Feel better, Xi Won. Xiang Wan. Whoever you are." He muttered and exited the room. Xiang Wan closed her eyes and tried to hold back the tears. How useless was she now? Couldn't even get up from bed to tell him the truth.

---

She was uncomfortable, she was confused, she was more than embarrassed to be walking along side Tong for the next few days. He called it rehabilitation for her leg. She called it a guilt trip. Words were now spreading among the cities Wives grapevine that they had a thing going on. Whenever they walked along the streets to the doctors clinic, she could feel the judgment crushing her spirit. "Great." She mumbled, "Not only am I engaged to myself, I'm cheating on myself too." Tong snickered from the side. She looked at him and blinked. He had treated everything ever so normally. As if Xi Won and Xiang Wan were two people, as if Xiang Wan was the fiance of his comrade Xi Won. Where was the anger? The betrayal? The pain? Did he not feel anything? Did his fathers death numb him of all feeling? "What are you laughing at?" she finally asked.

"Finally decided to speak to me?" he grinned, prompting Xiang Wan to blush. It was true, for the past three days, other than nodding or shaking her head, they had not shared a word. In reality, she was too ashamed to speak.

"Here for today's medicine?" the doctor's apprentice perked up from behind the wooden counter. Out of everyone in the town, he was known as the town gossip. Xiang Wan pretty much assumed all the fabrications of her and Tong came from him.

"Just hand us our medicine." Tong said. The apprentice nodded and walked back and forth, picking up the right herbs while asking inappropriate questions.

"So, is Master Shen coming back?" he took a look at Xiang Wan, "Are you going to tell him you're pregnant?"

"I'm what?" Xiang Wan said, astonished. Tong placed one hand on the table and lunged over, grabbing the apprentice by his collar.

"I just want to remind you that I'm on a friendly basis with our Lord Sun, and that Lady Shen is the cousin of the Qiao's. Any more inappropriate comments from you, and I will make sure even the smallest bug on your land will die." It was a death threat, and his voice was scary enough to not believe. Xiang Wan swallowed hard and picked up the package. She placed a few coins on the table and walked out. Tong shoved the apprentice back and straightened out his own clothes. "Don't forget." He muttered and followed her out.

---

They walked back to the Shen estate, neither of them even looking at each other after that incident. With a sigh, Xiang Wan grabbed Tong's sleeve and pulled him towards the gardens in the back. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What are YOU doing?" she threw her hands in the air, the package of medicine slipping from her hands and onto the ground. "Ugh. You're driving me crazy."

"I'm driving you crazy? Says the one who dressed up like a man to enter the army and is engaged to herself?" he raised an eyebrow.

"THAT is not the point." She pointed her finger at him, "Okay that is the point…" she thought for a second. "Why aren't you mad?"

"Mad?"

"Don't you think I betrayed you? I lied to you! To everyone on the team! I'm disgusted with myself, how are you not mad?"

"You…must have had your reasons for doing this." He said softly, "I will never understand why you did it, but I'm not going to question you. I'm sure as Xiang Wan or as Xi Won, it reflected the real you." Xiang Wan didn't know what to say. She flopped on the stone bench and buried her head into her hands.

"I don't know what to say." She said to him. "You're so grown up."

"Excuse me?"

"The reason…the reason I went to Wu as Xiang Wan. The reason why I went to camp as Xi Won…the reason…" she was trying to search for the words in her mouth, "Was because I wanted to be better than you. I held all these grudges from childhood to try to best you. I just ended up making a fool out of myself." Tong stayed silent but took a seat beside her as she continued. "Everything I strived for was just so one day I could show you how well I was as a boy or girl…but then I come, expecting you to be the same jackass you were. Instead…you have so many intelligent friends. You're valued so high among your classmates. You're valued so high by others. You're level headed, you're calm you're collected…you're everything I wanted to be…" she suddenly stopped talking when Tong put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it.

"You were the reason." He said. "That I became all these things. Note that I didn't know you were a girl back then, I probably wouldn't have treated you that way. But I'm thankful that you were a boy. You taught me how to be a man in a different way. Through honor, through respect. Not through bullying and messing up your hair." He used his free hand and gave her hair a ruffle. "I always had a feeling you were a little strange. Not this strange, but I can't find myself getting mad at you." She took deep breaths and felt the heat rising in her face. "Listen," he said, "everyone grows in a different way. You sometimes strive from the path, but that doesn't mean you can't find another way there." He looked at her and smiled. "Trust me. I'm not all honor and respect. It took me lots of paths to get here, but it started with you."

"Gong Ji…' she whispered, not knowing what to say next.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" Xing Li's loud, bolstering voice echoed through the garden. "What are you doing Master Ling!" she saw their hands, "She's engaged to Master Shen and and."

"He knows Xing Li." Xiang Wan quickly took her hand away and calmed her nanny. "He knows."

"Well. Oh." The pudgy woman tried to play off her yelling with a laugh. "My apologies."

"Don't worry." Tong said humbly. Xing Li cleared her throat.

"I have an important letter for you Xiang Wan dear, well it's for Xi Won but it's you technically."

"A letter?"

"It's from the capital." She handed her the scroll.

"That's Lord Sun's seal." Tong pointed out. Xiang Wan tore open the scroll and the two read it.

"He's summoning me back to the capital as soon as possible."

"What for?" Xing Li asked, oblivious to the matter. Both Xiang Wan and Tong had a gut feeling they knew what it was. Not only was it against the rules having women in the academy, the punishment could mean imprisonment or worse…death.

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Whoacorny!!!! Thanks for reading/commenting!!


	15. First in Class

Another two chapter night/morning! Whoa!!!! Enjoy!

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Chapter 14: First in Class

"You can't go back! You just can't!" Xing Li and her mother were pleading her as they all gathered around the dining room table. "They'll kill you."

"I don't even know what this is for." Xiang Wan replied.

"You know what it is." Tong narrowed his eyes. He had found it particularly weird that the letter said he was not to accompany Xi Won. "Who in camp knows?"

"Well the Qiao's…and Xun."

"Xun?" Tong looked a little offended but Xiang Wan gave the, _I'll tell you later, it's not appropriate in front of my overprotective mother_ look.

"I don't think Xun or the Qiao's blew the secret. So it must be something else."

"What else could it be?"

"I won't know until I try."

'I'm coming with you."

"The letter said you aren't allowed to." Mistress Shen and Xing Li's head darted back and forth, watching the two argue with each other. Xing Li gave her Mistress a nudge and they both grinned. "I saw that." Xiang Wan quickly glared. Tong sighed, wondering what was wrong with all the Shen women. "Listen, I'm the cousin of the Qiao's. Nothing bad will happen."

"You committed a national crime!"

"Why aren't women allowed in the fight anyways?" she crossed her arms, "I heard Princess Shang Xiang is a formidable warrior, yet she is not allowed to step onto the battlefield. The Qiao's are also skilled fighters, but they are also refrained from joining. I should not be in trouble for wanting to serve my country!"

"You didn't join to serve the country." He reminded her, losing his temper just a tad. Tong counted to three and calmed down right after, "I don't suggest you go."

"Then that would be a national crime." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going and you can't stop me."

"Fine." Tong slapped his hand on the table, "See if I care." He said and stomped out of the home.

"My goodness." Mistress Shen put her hand to her mouth, after they watched him leave their estate. "I have watched that boy grow up more than you, and I have not seen him throw such a tantrum in so long."

"What do you mean?" she glared at her mother.

"The whole hand slamming thing, he would never do something that dramatic." Xiang Wan thought back to when he did it at doctors office. "He's so calm and collected." Mistress Shen added.

"It's probably someone that's tugging at his strings." Xing Li cooed and got up. "Time to cook dinner." She sang before receiving the death glare from Xiang Wan.

---  
So that was the start of their Cold War. Tong spent the next few days trying to finish up all his family business so he could return to the capital as soon as possible. Xiang Wan on the other hand was locked up in her estate, not allowed to see anyone or come out. It didn't bother Tong though, he just felt himself getting frustrated whenever he thought about what was going to happen. "Lord Sun is a good man." He'd keep reminding himself, "The Qiao's love her. Nothing bad will happen."

When Tong got back to the Ma's house, he saw that a letter had been delivered to him also. This time bearing the seal of Lu Xun, confused on why his friend would write him, he quickly returned to his room and read its contents. _Dear friend, I hope all is going well on your end. We are preparing for the campaign over on our part. Lord Sun and Master Zhou had decided to keep you away for this one. I hope you understand. They believe now it is more important for you to handle your family business and make sure your mother has everything settled for her. Do not feel bad though, it is only a small campaign and Lord Sun has reassured me that you will be needed for the larger picture. We do miss you on this side. Your mother is also settling into the capital well, she sends her wishes as do us all. Hope to see you soon. Your friend, Bo Yan. _

Tong blinked at the letter and tried to decipher it. It was very strange, the way he structured his letter. Him miss a campaign? That was absurd! Though he could see the reasoning and respected his Lords wishes.

"Master Tong?" Prefect Ma stuck his head into his room, "Do you think there is time for us to discuss some matters?"

"Of course." Tong said, "I'll be out right now." He blew out the candle to his room and threw the letter to a side. "What can I help you with?" he asked Prefect Ma, the contents of the letters still etched into his mind.

When it finally hit him, it was late at night. Tong ran out of his room, half dressing and half putting on his shoes when he stumbled out of the Ma estate and rushed towards the Shen's. It was always up to Xun to send decrypted messages, that sly fox. He got to the front gates of the Shen's household and banged on the doors, a servant, sleepy-eyed and annoyed answered it.

"Where is Lady Shen?"

"Shen?" the servant's head bobbled around, "She left days ago."

"WHAT?"

"Who is it?" Xing Li's voice, still loud as ever at this time of the night bellowed thorugh.

"Master Ling." The servant replied and the gates opened wider.

"Oh…" she turned a crimson shade of red, "My lady left right after your spat with her. She asked us to keep it a secret from you as soon as possible. She left you this letter though." She pulled something out of her shirt and handed it to the young man. Tong apologized for his disturbance and began his walk to the Ma estate, but not before opening up the scroll and reading it as he went.

_Gong Ji. You said that everyone's path is different, but we all eventually get there. I want to believe that, which is why I grabbed our quickest horse and am heading back to the capital to confess what has happened. If you respect me as a friend, whether it be your comrade, that kid you bullied or…whatever we are, please do not follow. I understand you still have many things to deal with in regards to your family. You must remember, your family always comes first. You said I taught you these values, and I hope that I'm not the reason why you estrange from these values. I'll be fine. You have to believe in me. Xiang Wan_

Tong crumpled the scroll and gritted his teeth. "You idiot." He muttered, "They're sending you off to war."  
---

It took a few days, but she finally arrived at the capital of the gates, greeted by her two cousins. "We're so glad you're okay." They came over and hugged her, "What happened to your face?" They noted the scars that had not healed yet, "And your arm."

"I fell down a cliff." Xiang Wan explained, trying to play it off. "So where is Lord Sun, he wanted to see me?" The two Qiao's blinked.

"I thought you told him to write the letter to Xi Won." Xiao Qiao whispered.

"I did."

"Don't worry." She waved the scroll in her hands, "I'm reading to confess for my crimes."

"Confess?"

"What for?"

"It's as crime for a woman to enter the army, is it not?" Da Qiao let out a laugh.

"I think you need to go see my husband right away."

"I'm glad you made it back safe." Sun Ce exclaimed from his estate located in the kingdom. He took a good look at Xiang Wan before smiling, "Lady Shen."

"My lord." She bowed. "I.."

"You don't have to explain anything." He waved his finger before taking another nibble of his noodles. "Even if my wife and her sister did not explain it all, Gong Jin and I always knew." He tapped the little area between his eyes, "I know." He laughed.

"Have you been drinking, my lord." Da Qiao sighed and prepared some tea. "Sit, Xiang Wan."

"So…I'm not being killed?"

"I hope not." Ce said with a laugh. "We actually need your help for something."

"For…"

"I got your report back from your little camp. You did great work trying to rescue Tong."

"Oh."

"We have a campaign coming up, we need you to infiltrate for us." Xiang Wan blinked.  
"But…I'm…"

"A girl? I always thought that rule was stupid." He shrugged, "You'll do fine."

"You trust me with this?"

"Is there any reason why I shouldn't?" She shook her head.

"I won't let you down, I promise."  
---

"Welcome home." Xun was relieved to see Xiang Wan step through the halls the next morning, "Wait, you're…a girl."

"You knew that." She stuck her tongue out and repeated the conversation she had last night with Sun Ce.

"That's amazing! Princess Sun will be so jealous." He laughed, "So does…"

"He knows."

"How did he take it?"

"Very calm."

"He's probably mad as hell inside." Xun gave off a boyish grin, "The rest of the infantry doesn't know though, they're not going to hide their anger as much."

"I don't care." She shrugged, "I'm done with this monkey on my back." She said proudly but Xun noticed she was not following him to the training grounds. "I just need a little push, that's all." Xun giggled and pushed her from behind.

"You'll do fine."

"So…you're a girl." Some people stared at her, "We always thought you were a little strange."

"Um. I guess." She blushed, trying to seek Xun for help. Cept the young lad was too busy enjoying it in a corner. "Are you all angry?"

"We would be." One of them said, "But, you took a poison bun for Tong."

"You're man enough." Xiang Wan stared at everyone dumbfounded, Wu was certainly a very special place.


	16. Fireworks

I am going to do something I was really trying to avoid...I am going to start another story.  
But I will try my best to try to update both...so I hope you all will support it!  
I'm trying another one of my crazy ideas to confuse all my dear readers. Anyways, it'd mean a lot if you guys would see if it seems interesting or not when I submit it! Thank you!!

* * *

Chapter 15: Fireworks

There was nothing less of an uproar when Sun Ce and Zhou Yu brought in the newest member of the army. Most of the men were older and could not think as liberal as their descendents. "She is a woman!" they debated.

"She has proven herself in the course!"

"She is like the age of my daughter!" the voices roared across the meeting hall. The younger ones supported Xiang Wan, sticking up for her because she was one of their own now.

"Silence." Zhou Yu put his hand up and everyone suddenly stopped talking. They all looked towards Ce, who had closed his eyes as if he was taking a nap until the fight was over. "Ce." Yu nudged his brother in law a bit.

"What? Oh I didn't know this silly conversation was over." He stood up and pointed at Xiang Wan. "She has proven herself more than capable of serving the Wu army. She has shown bravery and courage. Traits that every one of you carry." Xiang Wan watched in awe. At times, Ce looked like an incompetent leader, often joking and playing around. Yet the way he portrayed himself as he made this speech was unexplainable. His charisma, his passion, they were all reflected through every movement of his body. The young followed him because he represented youth, the old followed him because he reflected his Father. There was a reason why Wu was doing so well. They were being led by a master in every aspect.  
---

"That…was amazing." Xiang Wan whispered to Xun as the groups were disbanding in preparation for the upcoming campaign.

"That's our Lord." He grinned. Their route was cut short when a messenger rushed towards them.

"Urgent letter for Master Lu."

"Thank you." Xun took the scroll and tipped the messenger. Instantly he recognized the seal and grinned. The look on Xiang Wan's face was that she recognized it too. "Let's see." He opened it up and frowned. "The letters for you."

"What do you mean?" she gazed over to see that it was addressed to her.

"That boy." Xun laughed, "He probably knew that having it addressed to me would be faster."

"What do you mean?"

"If he asked to deliver it to you, the messengers themselves wouldn't care much."

"Why is that?"

"They have no care for not delivering a love letter." He stepped away before her hand came up. "It's true." He pointed out and laughed. "See what he has to say." He told her. Xiang Wan looked at the letter and began to read it.

_Xiang Wan,_

_ You have proven yourself more than worthy. I will respect your wishes. Just remember who you have waiting for you back at home, do not let your own pride hinder what is important to you._

It was short, but it was understandable.

"He's so grown up." She said, defeated. "It drives me crazy."

"He has his moments." Xun grinned, "Come on, let's go to the meeting to see what you'll be doing."  
---

"We will be issuing another attack to the East to reclaim the rest of our lands," Ce announced with confidence to the small group. "We will need the help of two groups for this tactic to be successful. Gong Jin, please." He directed it to Yu who stood from his seat.

"We have an informant working against Huang, he is a presumed trusted general of him. Not only has Huang given him a flurry of men, but they are positioned here." He pointed at a general map. "Their entire storage supply and last resorts are all laid upon this area. What we want you all to do." He was talking about the infiltration team, the very team that Xiang Wan was in. "Is to sneak in and prepare this letter to him." Yu had a small scroll in his hand. Everyone in the small group held their breath as their brave tacticians hand wavered back and forth until it fell short at Xiang Wan's.

"Me?" she pointed at herself.

"Her?" the other, more experienced generals also questioned.

"In a more macabre type of way," Xun stepped into explain, "Xiang Wan would be the least likely to be killed, say if you were captured. You have the highest chance of getting this letter through." Xiang Wan nodded and accepted the scroll, her hands sweating as much as her heat was beating.

"I don't believe that it is wise, she is still new." General Fong tried to argue.

"The decision was made by our Lord himself." Yu's eyes narrowed at the man, and he was quick to take his complaints away. "I am counting on all of you for this to succeed."

"For Wu!" a small rally was created around the table as people packed their things to leave. Xiang Wan sat there, still stunned about the responsibility given to her.

"Are, are you sure about this?" she asked Yu and Ce when everyone was gone.

"What are you talking about?" Xun said, bewildered.

"Yes, explain." Yu and Ce repeated.

"I mean, this is my first you know."

"Which is why it is important for you to not get this wrong." Joked the leader of Wu, "You'll do fine." He gave her a brother like pat on the head and the two walked away.

"I'm so confused." Xiang Wan looked over at Xun, "I was excited about this at first, but me, give the letter!" Xun crossed his arms.

"We have confidence in you."  
---

"You were sent to do what?" Xiao Qiao's eyes flared, "I will kill both of them!"

"Calm down!" her sister pulled her down, "Xiang Wan has no problem with this, I don't see that you should."

"Ooh." She stomped her feet like a child and sat down, "I wish we could go."

"In your dreams." Xiang Wan laughed. She had joined her cousins at Da Qiao's estate and was eating fruits in the garden. "You think anyone would let the precious Master Zhou's wife out to battle?" Xiao shoved a bunch of grapes in her mouth and chewed down all at once, squirting the juices out.

"I'm surprised mother even let her out of the house." Da Qiao sighed and handed her younger sister a handkerchief. "Here, this is for you." She placed a small, yellow folded triangle in Xiang Wan's hand.

"This…" she looked at the charm.

"I went to the temple this morning with Xiao, we prayed for your safety and success."

"Thank you guys." She looked up, blurry eyed.

"You are standing up for all us girl warriors." Xiao Qiao said with pride, "Make us proud you hear!"

"Got it." Xiang Wan laughed and took a slice of orange. Just as she was about to take a bite, Xiao Qiao added another comment.

"So when Tong comes back and you come back, are you going to get married?"

"Xiao!" Da Qiao scolded as they watched Xiang Wan completely miss the orange and chomp on her own finger.

"Oh my god." She screamed, holding it and hopping around the garden. Guards were quickly deployed to that area, but were relieved, and amused to see their first female warrior of Wu hop around in pain.

"It was just a question." Xiao shrugged and grabbed another handful of grapes.  
---

The army had deployed early in the morning, with Xiang Wan's troupe heading off into a different direction. They would have to be quicker, moving all throughout the day without stops. The base they were targeting was a shorter distance compared to the actual battle field but it was located deep in the mountains. The team would have to endure tough terrains and muggy weather, hoping to make it up without any major weather catastrophes. Xiang Wan's company was more than impressed by how quick and agile the young maiden was. Even boys her age were being worn down by fatigue but forced themselves to go on, afraid of being ridiculed. By nightfall on the third day, they had arrived on the outskirts of the base. The small group of six had separated momentarily to do scouting and had returned to their mini campsite for a meeting.

"Everything is as Master Zhou predicted." Their conclusion was.

"Did anyone see the man that we are supposed to approach for help?"

"Yes, I spotted him."

"Xiang Wan, open that first letter Master Zhou gave you." She nodded and laid it out to everyone to read. They were to light a small beacon in the sky at an approximate time and location.

"That's soon." Xiang Wan noted.

"We will go light it." Two of the younger men, who were part of her class said, "It is our specialty."

"You should go with them Xiang Wan." General Fong suggested. Not seeing anything wrong, she tagged along.

"Isn't this exciting Xiang Wan?" her classmates said, "All of us together again."

"Even though you're sort of different." They teased.

"Oh please." Xiang Wan rolled her eyes and they got towards the spot, "Is this it?"

"Yeah." They put down their bag, "Oh crap, we forgot something."

"I can go get it." Xiang Wan suggested.

"Do you remember the path?"

"Even better." She grinned, "I remembered a short cut. I'll be back." She told them and sprinted back towards the camp. Xiang Wan arrived at their campsite and found it odd that it was quiet. The fire had been put out but all their things were still strewn across the area. With an unsettling feeling, she quickly tried to rush back to the spot. Half way through, a beacon was shot into the sky, followed by a grueling scream and cry. Xiang Wan's eyes watered in fear as she hid in the bushes, watching the three elder generals of her company holding bloody swords.

"Where is that stupid girl?" Fong said. "She wasn't with those two. Spread out and find her! Now!"

"I can't believe they got the stupid beacon lit." the other general mumbled, "We have to get that letter."  
----

A bright light suddenly flashed up in the sky, dispersing quicker than the small bang it made. Only those who were looking at the sky would have been able to see it, only those who were informed to do so would see it. So when that light suddenly beamed, he threw his feet off the table and grumbled. Running his hand through his hair, he reached to the side of his waist for his daggers. "Time to roll." He grunted and walked out of his tent with the sound of bells accompanying him.


	17. One Step

Woohoo, off for winter break. Have a safe and happy holiday everyone!  
Oh and I've started another story, it's called Loveless. I hope if any of you have time, you'll check it out and tell me what you think. I promise I won't stop on this story though XD;. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 16: One Step

The fear in her heart was deeper and deeper as she found her way back to the lighting point. It took all her courage to stare directly at the pool of cold blood were her two comrades lay. Even from the short distance, she knew they were no longer breathing. Each cut, each slash was done with malicious intent. "You guys…" she held one hand to her mouth, the other to her stomach to prevent herself from throwing up. "Who…why?" she wondered. The sound of trees rustled behind her as she heard the sounds of the three men who committed this heinous crime.

"I see her footsteps."

"She must have gone back!" they said, forcing Xiang Wan to look around her surroundings. She was stuck between a cliff to the enemy camp or the three traitors.

"There you are!" They all appeared from the trees suddenly, their swords dripping with the blood of the two men at her feet.

"Why!" she shouted, "Why did you do this?"

"Times have changed in Wu." The first man said, "After our Lord's death, he left it to no one but a mere child. Ce can not rule this Kingdom, it is obvious as he chose you to bare the letter." His words struck a chord. "Now hand over the letter."

"What's so important about this letter?"

"We know Lord Sun has a mole in Lord Huang's camp. That letter will tell us who it is." Xiang Wan placed her hand over her chest, where the letter firmly laid. She looked down at the cliff at the drop and pondered her options.

"You are not that stupid are you?" the generals barked, "If you give us the letter, we might spare your life." The tone of his words were unpleasant. Xiang Wan took a deep breath and glared at the men.

"Over my dead body." She muttered before turning around and jumping.  
---

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here." Xun waited at the gates of the castle as Tong rode up.

"Bo Yan!" he looked more than surprised to see his friend, "How did you know?"

"I've known you almost half of my life," Xun looked offended, "Your letter to the young maiden was much too lax and polite, especially for you." Tong grunted and jumped off his horse, handing it to the closest guard there.

"Where is she?"

"She already left."

"You kidding me? Ce and Yu let her go?"

"I thought you had faith in her." He teased his friend, but received a menacing glare. "They found the job settling to her." Xun shrugged when a messenger flew right by them.

"What the hell was that?" Tong said.

"I don't know, but he's heading to the royal head quarters…maybe something happened?"

"Let's go." Tong urged his friend and they both ran to chase after him.

"I bring bad news." The messenger interrupted the meeting, with Tong and Xun fast on his tracks.

"Gong Ji? What are you doing here?" Ce looked at the young man, but remembered his priorities. "What is this you speak of?" he asked the messenger.

"I bring an urgent letter," he bowed and handed the sealed envelope to him. "This is from General Fong and the secondary team."

"General Fong?" Xun whispered to Tong, "That's where Xiang Wan is."

"Please." Ce handed the letter over to Yu, who skimmed through it quickly.

"What does the letter say?" Tong asked.

"Pay no attention to it." Yu said, "Everything is going to plan."

"Why is this bad news then?"

"Tong!" Xun held his friend down.

"I want to know what happened!"

"Stand down." One of the more prestigious generals said, "We are in a meeting right now, you are disturbing us Tong. Your father would not want you to do so." He said, prompting the young man to bite his lip.

"Let's go." Xun pulled on his friend, bowing and dragging him out.

"Why did you pull me out of there?"

"You have to know where you stand Tong, we just graduated from the academy. This is not our place." Xun reminded his friend, "Please Tong, you're usually not this stubborn."

"You're right." He sighed, "Sorry..,"

"She's fine. Have faith."

---  
Her eyes fluttered and she felt the weight of all her body giving up on her. "Ugh." She tried to sit up, but felt the pain in her ribs. "Where am I?" she grabbed her head and looked around. She was sleeping in a bed in what looked like an abandoned shack.

"You're finally up?" A young woman walked in from the side, "You're a crazy one."

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Ying." She took a seat beside her, "Let me see your wounds."

"Did you save me?"

"Nope, but I have been taking care of you."

"Thank you…"

"You should be thanking me." A large voice said from outside.

"Come in Master Gan." Ying said and the door opened. Xiang Wan's eyes went wide and she saw the bulky soldier come in, the sound of bells ringing beside him.

"You're up." He grinned, running his hand through his hair, "Feeling better?" she blinked at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"Who are you?" she eyed him curiously.

"Me?" The man grinned and threw one foot on the table, "I am the great Gan Ning Xing Ba. Pirate of the sea. Leader of the men-" Ying smacked him across the head, "Ow."

"He found you lying in the woods."

"You are a little daredevil aren't you." He grinned, "A jumper."

"I was aiming for the bushes, OW." She screamed when Ying pulled her arm back.

"There." Ying smiled happily.

"How long have I been out?" she asked them.

"Almost a week."

"A week?" she panicked.

"But don't worry, I sent the message for you." Xiang Wan blinked again.

"The letter, it was for me." Ning replied, "It was part of the deal."

"The deal?"

"Yeah, I killed one of your guys and you ended up capturing me, but released if I turned on Huang." It took a second for Xiang Wan to put two and two together.

"You…you killed General Ling?"

"Was that his name? Guess so. I wasn't really going to ask for his name and life story." He saw the look of sadness in her eyes, "Did you know him?"

"You..." she tried to jump from her bed but her body prevented her from doing so.

"Hold down horsie." Ning tapped his foot, he took out a small plaque. "You can't do anything to me." Xiang Wan squinted and saw the familiar seal of Wu. He was protected by law, and even if she could do anything, she couldn't. "Plus, I saved your life."

"You killed General Ling." Ning peered at her.

"How long have you been in the battlefield young'in?"

"I…"

"I've been fighting all my life. I've killed many fathers, sons, husbands, brothers and friends." He paused, "And people have in turn killed my comrades but I don't take vengeance, I don't take revenge, I don't hate." With a dramatic flair, he looked at Xiang Wan, "Do you know why?" She didn't know what to say. "Because that's how war is. People die. People get hurt. People get killed. But why do we all do it? Because we want to protect our family and our friends. If you don't even understand that, then you have no place in the battlefield."

"There, there." Ying patted Ning on the arm, "Let the child rest, she's had a rough time." Ning nodded.

"I have some final touch ups to do before we send Huang's men into a trap." He nodded at Xiang Wan, "Rest up."

---

"What are you doing?" Xun stood outside Tong's room, where the young man was packing up his things.

"I'm going to join them."

"Them?" he thought for a bit, "Xiang Wan? They're an infiltration mission, you can't join them!"

"Did you forget what I was best at?"

"They've been gone for weeks already! By the time you catch up, it'll be all over!"

"There's something fishy going around here." Tong shouted, "Our main army is halted, as is Huang's…something is wrong."

"And it's not your place to judge and figure it out."

"I can't lose Xiang Wan again."

"What?"

"You heard me." He tried to move past Xun, but his friend had his hand on his arm.

"What is wrong with you Tong? You're never this irrational. You're being unreasonable! I'll go to our Lord about this!" he threatened.

"Bo Yan. Move." The young tactician did not budge. "Please." He lowered his tone, "I don't want to lose her." Xun sighed deeply and moved.

"I expect both of you to come back, get married and name your first child after me." He chuckled and put his hand on Tong's shoulder. "Bring her back."

"Thanks Bo Yan…and I'll think about the kid thing."


	18. Different Ways

Dur. If it wasn't for a nice little review reminding me that I had this story, I would have totally forgot. Sigh, there is no words I can say to say how sorry I am, but here are two chapters?

* * *

Chapter 18: Different Ways

"Rise and shine." A large package landed on top of Xiang Wan's face one early morning. Startled, she sat straight up to see both Ying and Gan Ning preparing for battle.

"What?" she mumbled. It had been a few days since the last time she had seen the pirate who was busy 'preparing' while Ying held rehabilitation lessons with her.

"What do you mean what?" he raised his eyebrow, "Aren't you an infiltrator?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going to do what you do best," he grinned, "Infiltrate!" She could see Ying roll her eyes in the corner while sticking a dagger in a hidden sheath of her boot. "I got the go ahead from your side."

"But what about Fong and his men? They are betraying Wu!"

"You don't have to worry about that old fart," he said, "He'll get what's coming to him. Ying, give us the map." Ying unrolled a large scroll on the table.

"There are two points of entry for the base, one here, and here." She drew circles with her hands, "This leads directly to the food, which would be left for me of course."

"Why you?" Xiang Wan asked.

"Let's just say Ying is our little pyromaniac." Ning smirked again, "And this," he pointed at the other circle, "Is where you come in."

"Me?"

"This leads to the mess hall."

"Um aren't there a lot of people in the mess hall." She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yes, but I will be there too. Plus, these two spots are the only spots where you can't be detected, and closest to some form of platform."

"So the plan is Ying burns down the stuff and I go into the mess hall?" Xiang Wan was starting to miss the brain of Xun.

"Yes, but I'll be eating with someone." Ning snapped his fingers, "Your, well, our enemy. General Huang."

"He'll be there?"

"He'll be there."

"Are you sure this plan is going to work?"

"It's your leaders who saw something in me," he pointed out. Xiang Wan found the argument convincing enough and nodded. She just hoped that Prime Minister Zhou and General Lu were correct.

* * *

Tong rode through the path day in and day out, trying to find some sign of where she would have been. He had finally gotten wind of what the important message from General Fong was about but he found it difficult to believe. He did not believe that his good comrades and friends tried to take advantage of her, nor did she kill them in cold blood and jumped off the cliff after. "This is why women should not be in the army!" the letter had ended, but Tong was prepared to show them wrong. There had to be more to this story, Xiang Wan was still alive, he could feel it in his blood. "Hyah!" he shouted at his horse one more time and headed to the rendezvous point where the group would have been.

By the time he got to the area, he already noticed something strange with the make shift camp that was set up. It was noted that General Fong and the other two generals went off with the main group to attack the main camp but the campsite was unsettling. For example, under normal protocol, the camp should have been disbanded. Instead it looked like it was still being used, bags were strewn across, along with torn rope that may had once been attached to a horse. There were still rations lying around the campfire and the make shift beds were made, with only three unused.

He started by heading into the far left tent, and noticed that it only housed one occupant. From the neatness of the bags and the tent, he had guessed it was Xiang Wan's right away. Most of her stuff was still intact, nothing strewn across, nothing pillaged. Tong walked over to her bag and pulled the small knot to undo it. There was nothing much too interesting other than a few hidden bills and personal documents. Standing up, he headed over to the other tent where his comrades once shared and investigated there also. It was not much of a surprise when everything seemed just as normal. "The signal point." He said out loud, deciding to head there next.

Tong had expected to see two decomposing bodies when he got to the edge of the cliff but was surprised to see two make-shift burials, each with a small wood plaque that had their names. "I believe in you guys." He whispered, touching the plaques with his forefingers and making a small prayer. Secretly, he wondered who would have done this for him. Since the actions that they did according to General Fong would not have lead to such a respectful burial. Pushing it to the back of his mind, Tong then turned towards the edge of the cliff and stared straight down. This was where Xiang Wan supposedly would have jumped, he noted to himself. "She can't be dead." He told himself again, noting all the bright green bushes and trees. She was smarter than this, she had more pride than to take the cowards way out and jump.

"Who is there?" a voice suddenly bellowed out loud and Tong quickly turned, his hand on his sword. "Master Ling?"

"General Fong…"

* * *

"You seem a little bothered, is everything okay?" Ying asked Xiang Wan as they were preparing their steeds to ride to the camp. She had been starring up at the mountains, the images of her crashing down replaying over and over again.

"I was stupid to jump, wasn't I?"

"It would have been safer than to stay with those three." Ning took a bite of an apple, where he got it, neither of the girls knew.

"It was a cowards way out," she chewed her bottom lip, "I could have avenged my classmates, I-"

"It was three highly known generals against one lowly girl." He said in a more serious tone, "Your classmates would have understood."

"But their bodies, they're just laying there and-"

"You do not have to worry about that," Ying placed her hand on Xiang Wan's like a loving sister, "Xing Ba had asked me to give them the correct burial."

"You did?" she looked up at the pirate and shrugged.

"I'd do it for my brothers in arms, it's only right to do it in your place."

"Thank you." She smiled, prompting him to blush.

"Let's go, let's go!" he snapped his fingers. "We have a show to start!"

* * *

"Master Ling!" General Fong, Leung and Tin were surprised to see the young man at this spot. "What are you doing here? Did our Lord send you?" Tong raised his eyebrow and noticed the sudden urgency in his speech.

"No, I came on my own. I heard of what happened to my comrades, I came to pay my respects."

"In the middle of a war zone?"

"I am currently suspended from my activities," he tried to explain, sort of ashamed to be playing the daddy card, "After you know what happened."

"Of course, I was in the same training group as your father," Fong said, "He was a noble and great man." Tong nodded.

"Why are you all still here?" Tong said after, prompting the three to suddenly stand a little straighter. "I thought you went to meet up with the rest of the army?"

"We got news of something interesting." General Leung said, "The person that is at the camp, he is the man who killed your father."

"What?"

"And that girl, Shen, she's not dead." The news was now coming all too fast at once. "She's actually deserting to the other side."

"What?"

"We did not want to alarm anyone, so we stayed to do some investigations. She is working with the man who killed your father Gong Jin."

"I…"

"If you don't believe us, you are free to go and investigate yourself. They will be doing something tonight according to our sources."

"I…"

"Take some time to think about it." General Fong gave him a pat on the shoulder and the three men walked away.

* * *

"This is where we split up." Ning announced, "Ying will head that way, and you will head that way." He pointed to two different directions. "Ying will set fire to the supplies once we start the party in the mess hall."

"When do I know I have to jump in?"

"There's a small hole where you can look in, once you see me and Huang sit down, it'll be good."

"Are you sure?"

"It'll be fine." He ruffled her hair, "What is this, your first campaign?" She gave him a strong stare, "Oooh boy." He winked, "I'm counting on you. Let's roll!"

"Waitwait," Xiang Wan tried to say but then she realized she was all alone. Sighing, she looked at the make shift map and started the path upwards the mountain. Throughout the walk, she felt a certain uncertainty, often turning back to see if someone was following her. "No one would be here." She told herself and continued the path. After what seemed like a million years, she finally made her way up to the cliff, having perfect view of the said mess hall and the rest of the base. "I guess this is the small hole." She noted the perfectly hidden area in the tarp. To get there, she would simply have to cross over the tree and stay suspended until it was time. Too bad it was easier said than done. With a deep breath, she put one foot forward and was prepared to leap when something grabbed a hold of her shoulders and pulled her back.


	19. Trust

Chapter 19: Trust

With a sudden force, Xiang Wan felt herself being pulled back and landing on top of the perpetrator. In fear, she pulled the dagger she had hidden in her boot and spun around, the tip of the blade on the stranger's neck. The grip loosened and the knife fell to the side instantly when she laid her eyes upon Tong. "Gong Ji." She said, barely able to contain her excitement, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing?" he quickly snapped back, his voice not impressed. "Is what General Fong and them said true?"

"What? You saw General Fong? They were the ones-" she wanted to explain what they did but Tong was too angry to listen.

"Is it true then? The man who killed my father is down there?"

"You mean Gan Ning?"

"Is that his name?" he said with a venomous tone, "Are you working with them? Was this your plan all along?"

"What?" she couldn't believe what was happening, or understand it for sure. "You think I, wait, no! Gan Ning is on our side!"

"Why should I trust you? You're with the enemy."

"No, you're listening to the enemy!" Tong had now stood up and was walking away but Xiang Wan gave chase and grabbed onto his hand, "You have to believe me Gong Ji, Generla Fong was the one who killed…"

"You expect me to believe you? Just like how I believed you were a boy?" Xiang Wan's jaw dropped.

"How can you even compare that to…"

"How can I trust you? I don't even know the real you. Your life has been a lie, everything you say and do is a lie Xiang Wan. How do you expect me to believe you?"

"You said you,"

"Didn't mind these things? Of course, that was before I realized you were helping the enemy."

"You're the one helping the enemy!" she cried, "You're the one who is letting your pride get to you!"

"I should kill you right now." He mumbled, prompting her to stand back in shock and a little bit of fear.

"What?"

"I am a proud servant of Wu, I should kill you for betraying us."

"I did not do such thing. What do I have to say for you to believe me?" she paused, "Kill me."

"What?"

"If you truly believe that I am a deserter of Wu, kill me then."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"You were all high and mighty about it just a few minutes ago." He gave her the death stare.

"I'm not going to kill you." He repeated and turned to walk again.

"Then I'll kill you!" she rushed towards him, her hand on his shoulders.

"Xiang Wan, what are you doing?" he dodged one of her blows, and another, and another.

"I rather have you kill me than not believe me." she muttered, throwing her other fist forward and striking Tong in the chest. He straggled back a bit and looked at her bewildered.

"Are you insane?"

"You tell me." She lunged towards him again, Tong quickly grabbed hold of her hand and pushed her forward onto the ground, refraining her from moving any farther.

"Xiang Wan, snap out of it!"

"Do you believe me!" she shouted, her face covered with dirt.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because you're everything to me!" the grip on her lessened and she continued to lie face flat on the ground. "You've been in my life all my life but now I can finally have you in my life as myself. No Xi Won, no boy, no lies, just me." The last part of her sentence drifted off. "If you don't believe me, I…"

"I believe you." He said.

"No you don't."

"I don't support your choices, but I never said I didn't believe you." Xiang Wan turned around and sat up.

"You believe that Gan Ning is on our side?" He hesitated for a bit but nodded, "And you believe that General Fong killed them."

"I…"

"I didn't kill them."

"I know you didn't."

"General Fong did." She sighed, "Head back to the castle."

"What?"

"When this ordeal is done with, you will see the truth."

"I am not heading back to the castle."

"Why not?"

"Because I sense you're going to do something stupid. I am coming with you."

"You can't. I'm working with the man who killed your father." Tong chewed on his lip for a bit, "Your emotions will run high." She wiped the dirt off her face and stood up, suddenly remembering about her mission. "Will you wait for me at the castle?"

"Isn't that what I should be saying to you?"

"You're on leave." Tong sighed.

"I can't leave you,"

"You can, because you trust me." Tong let out another sigh.

"Be safe."

"You too." She looked down at the mess hall and back at the spot where she was originally supposed to be. With a smile, she gave a two finger wave and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Tong stood there silently, his mind trying to grasp what was just happening. He couldn't leave her to do this on her own, yet something inside him compelled him to stay out of it.

"She can take care of herself," he convinced himself, "I have to believe in her."

* * *

A little tired out from the earlier fight she had with Tong, Xiang Wan felt more energized than usual as she lay low, her eyes keeping track of what was happening in the mess hall. She was now even more confident that she could pull it off and trusted in Gan Ning's plan. It was easy to keep track of the pirate, for his large bells could be heard all across the small base. With a rowdy roar, she noticed the him walking towards the mess hall, a unfamiliar person by his side. Her mind flashed back to the meeting room where Ning had explained what her job would be.

"_You'll be my back up." He said, _

"_Your back up?"_

"_I'm going to hold General Huang hostage," he said with much pride and as if he was an expert at it. "Then when everyone is going to try to kill me, you come in."_

"_So I'm going on a suicide mission."_

"_No." he wagged his finger, "When they sent me an infiltrator, they told me that they were sending me one of their best archers. You are going to be my sniper. Then Ying will set the place on fire, and I'm going to make sure we all get back to Wu alive."_

"_Are you certain about that?"_

"_Positive."_

Xiang Wan now watched as the two entered the mess hall and she could see the two of them sitting down. Except, the laughter that was there earlier was no longer there. Instead it was replaced by an uncomfortable silence, and a dangerous presence. Could he already be threatening General Huang? Xiang Wan thought, grabbing the bow and arrow that was placed in the hiding spot earlier. She lined up her shot carefully but suddenly felt the string of the arrow snap. Shocked, she examined the bow quickly and noticed it had been tampered with. Soon the feeling of uncertainty hit when a loud bang came from the mess hall and Gan Ning was surrounded by various people, including General Fong, Leung and Tin! "No!" Xiang Wan stood up and suddenly felt a cold steel blade at her neck. Slowly she turned her head around and with her eyes wide; she could not believe who was on the other end of the sword. "How could you…" she whispered to the weapon bearer, "I trusted you."


	20. Wasteland

Whoaaaaa. Thanks for the comments (especially the one that made me realize I've been calling my prologue, epilogue all this time ahha, how embarassing).

* * *

Chapter 20: Wasteland

The tip of the steel blade pressed on her neck gently as Xiang Wan turned around to stare her attacker in the eye. "How could you," she whispered, "I trusted you."

"It's simple. I'm a pirate." The attacker used their index finger to motion her to stand slowly, "Now turn around and climb back up on here. And don't think of jumping this time." Xiang Wan climbed back up that small steep hill and climbed back onto the path, the blade still firmly placed on her. "Now walk."

"What are you going to do with me?" Xiang Wan was walking ahead of her attacker, the base of the blade on her shoulder.

"We're going to go down to the base, and we'll see what General Huang wants to do with you."

"Why would you pretend you were going to defect to Wu?"

"It doesn't really matter who I serve, it's just whoever gives me the best deal."

"The best deal?"

"Frankly, whoever is the most beneficial, financially of course."

"And Wu did not offer enough? And what about General Gan, Ying? Aren't you two comrades?"

"Hah!" Ying let out a shrill laugh, "That man? I've followed him for 10 years since I was 18, and he has done nothing but break my heart. He treats you better in the past week than he has ever for me." Xiang Wan felt that there was more to their relationship other than partners.

"So you're going to watch him just die?"

"He is getting what he deserves. You see, we are two very different people. He always goes on about justice and the importance of comrades. We'd have to give up bountiful of treasure, give up our own meals in order for others to survive."

"And you're doubting his leadership?"

"That is not how you survive if you're living the way we do." She scoffed, "Walk faster."

* * *

Xiang Wan's heart beat went faster and faster as they continued down the path as her mind went completely blank. She was truly a rookie in the game of war. How was she going to get out of this? Being brought down to General Huang's camp was definitely not an option, life or death, it was time to choose. And choose fast.

"You're not doing this because of the benefits aren't you?" Xiang Wan decided to test Ying's patience.

"Did I say you can talk?"

"You're doing this because of General Gan." The tip of the blade was almost touching flesh now. Xiang Wan took a deep breath and held in the fear. "You're angry at him because he's never returned the same feeling you've had for him."

"What do you know?" She could feel the tip hovering near her skin.

"I wonder how it's like to fall in love with a pirate." Xiang Wan had taken the courage to turn around, where Ying had still held the blade straight at her. She knew if Tong or Da Qiao were here, they would be scolding her for being irrational.

"I can't turn back now." She whispered to herself and said to Ying, "He's not a bad looking guy, pretty sure he was popular with the ladies. How did it feel?"

"Shut up."

"Ten years, it's a very long time to love someone."

"What do you know? You're nothing but a child." Ying's hand was now shaking, "Turn around and walk."

"What's going to happen when you do betray General Gan? For the rest of your life you're going to regret it. Just because you can't have him, you've cost him his life."

"This has nothing to do with him!" She screamed and Xiang Wan suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. With a large exasperated gasp, she took a step back with the sword still pierced. "See, look what you've done." Ying was now gasping heavily, "You could have lived a few more hours, but you truly do not know how to be a quiet hostage."

"No." Xiang Wan replied, both her hands on the handle of the sword, "I just know myself better than I know you." She winced as she pulled it out, "Now I have the sword." She tipped it at Ying.

"Silly girl." Ying shook her head and pulled out five mini daggers from her inside pocket, each one settled in between her fingers. "You are obviously too new at the game of war." Xiang Wan cursed and ducked just as one of them flew past her head. With one hand on the sword and the other on her wound, Xiang Wan was prepared to fight till her very last breath. "Try to run, little one." Ying said, another one sailing past her ear. Xiang Wan rolled towards the ground and spotted a large tree, it was the safest place for her at this moment. With her hand on the handle of the sword, she ran towards the tree and used it as a shield at the next dagger. "Not so fast." Ying taunted and she threw another one towards Xiang Wan.

"Ugh." She winced when it struck in her shoulder, the sword dropping onto the ground with a clang. Pulling the dagger out of her shoulder she felt her head warp and her vision blur.

"Come on, come on." She cooed, "I'm tired of playing, the next one is for your heart."

"What to do, what to do." Xiang Wan closed her eyes and felt the tears pouring out, she had never been so close to death before. This was nothing like sparring or training, this was real, this was war, this was life.

Ying's foot steps crunched on the leafy path and were getting closer to where Xiang Wan was. She would have to circle the tree to get to her, which gave Xiang Wan her last chance. Straining her ears, she followed Ying's footsteps until they were almost beside her. "One, two…" she whispered and with a quick move she circled the tree and threw her hand down. The dagger in her hand slowly sank in further and further, and all Xiang Wan could wish for was that it was not the tree she had stabbed.

"You…you…" she heard Ying gasp as both her hands reached for the dagger on the base of her neck. Xiang Wan let go and tripped backwards onto the ground. She lifted her hand and stared at the blood, it was strange to have someone else's blood mixed with hers. Ying gasped for air as she pulled the dagger out, her hand trying to plug the hole. "By a lowly child." She gasped, a bit of laughter still in her voice. "Good game, but you won't make it far, neither will Xing Ba." She attempted a cackle, "See you in hell."

Xiang Wan started to gasp as her hands fell over her stomach wound again, "General Gan is counting on me…"

* * *

Tong had stopped near the river basin for a quick nap and it had almost been an hour since his encounter with Xiang Wan. "Hopefully she's okay." He washed his face and gathered his things. Walking down the path, his nose suddenly caught the strong scent of iron. "What is this?" he took another whiff, the familiar scent of battle overwhelming him. He began to follow his nose and noticed a trail of blood along the pathway. Tong followed the long leafy paths when he noticed a body lying next to a large tree. "Are you alright?" he ran over to see a young woman lying there motionless, he put his hand to her wrist and shook his head when he felt no pulse. Looking ahead of him, he realized that the blood path continued and followed it.

* * *

Xiang Wan pawed and clawed through the leafs, pulling herself further and further down the path. Eventually she leaned on one of the many trees and closed her eyes. The wound from both her shoulder and stomach were still open and her head was throbbing. The more she moved, the more she felt that she was going to collapse. "Xiang…Xiang Wan?" a nervous voice said. Xiang Wan opened her eyes and faced Tong.

"Gong Ji?"

"You're bleeding! Your face and your lips are pale, what happened?" he quickly put two and two together, "That body earlier? Was that?" she nodded, her eyes closing slowly and her head dipping down.

"Don't sleep!" he scolded, "Xiang Wan, wake up!"

"We must go." She tried to get up but only landed on the ground.

"Go where? We're not going anywhere!"

"Gan Ning." She muttered, "He's in trouble."

"We don't have time to care about that man! You need help, we need to get you medical attention." He tried to pick her up but Xiang Wan put her hand on his arm.

"He's a part of Wu, he is a comrade, he is our brother."

"He's not-"

"If you could…" she took a deep breath because it hurt for her to speak, "could…accept me, we…"

"I get it, I get it." He put his hand over her mouth, "Don't speak, preserve your energy."

"You need to help…"

"I'll help him."

"Don't-"

"I won't kill him." A small smile formed on her lips. Tong ripped his sleeves and created a small sling for Xiang Wan's arm, and used the rest to wrap a makeshift bandage for her lower wound. "I'll go save him, but I need to take you somewhere safe first. Okay?" she nodded before her eyes drifted off into sleep.


	21. World of Snakes

Chapter 21: World of Snakes

The base gathered together as their great comrade Gan Ning was being questioned by various generals and leaders. "If you say I am about to betray you." The pirate had said, both his feet and hands bound like a common criminal. "Where is your evidence? All I wanted was a simple drink with you, my lord."

"That's right!" Some of the men shouted. General Huang silenced them with a menacing glare. He had forgotten that Ning was a popular general, and in order to prevent chaos from his own troops, he would need evidence.

"Where is that stupid girl?" he whispered to his lieutenant who shrugged.

"Have I not been loyal to you General Huang?" Ning had started again. He had not planned for this to happen, everything had gone in the worst possible way. Where was Xiang Wan, she was supposed to have his back. Most importantly, why wasn't the storage base on fire? He hoped that neither of them were in the same predicament as him.

"My lord," one of his advisors said to Huang, "You can not treat General Gan like this until we have actual evidence, this will destroy troop morale."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Put him up in a make-shift prison for the night. It's late and the troops are tired, they aren't going to understand any hostility, we must treat him as innocent."

"Very well." Huang nodded. "We will deal with this in the morning," he announced, prompting small whispers amongst the men. "General Gan will be put in a watched facility until morning, we will handle it then. Disband for the night!" There were still confusing murmurs and unrest as everyone returned to their tents.

* * *

Tong watched from the hilltop as the troops dispersed and he spotted his target. It was easy as his legs and hands were bound like a pig. He watched as a few soldiers grabbed him and loosened the ropes, only to escort him to a tent far from the rest of the general tents. "His prison?" he pondered, following them from the top. Tong continued to scan the area as they went further and further from the camp. He cringed as he heard the sounds of men screaming in agony and pain. "Prison." he concluded and watched as a nice tent was held up for Gan Ning.

"This is where you'll have to stay for the night, General Gan." One of the guards said, "Our apologises for it being so…"

"Don't worry." He replied with a smirk, "Better than the places I lived before." Gan Ning and the two guards entered the tent, with only the guards coming back out.

"Guess that's where I have to go." Tong decided and circled the top of the area,

The best course of action for Tong was to scale down behind Ning's tent where it was luckily secluded from most of the area. Other than the two guards in front, there was not much in regards to a challenge. Or so he hoped. "Let's just hope pirates know how to scale hills." He took out rope from his pack sack and tied it to the branches of the large trees. Making sure both were secure, he fastened one around himself and the other around his arm for transport. As the night was not getting any younger, he knew he had to move fast. Looking down at the side of the hill, he noted the safest route to take and started his descent down. His every step and jump down silenced by the sound of the crickets and frogs. When he got behind the tent, he could faintly see the shadow of Gan Ning inside. He stood there silently, watching as the shadowy figure inside move slightly. This would have been the perfect time to go in and kill the man, destroy him for all he was worth. Yet the mature, sensible, level-headed Tong knew that this was not the right choice. Not only did he promise Xiang Wan, he had an obligation to Wu to get this man back to the castle.

"If you think the shadows are only seen through one side, you're wrong." A voice suddenly said and Tong realized that the shadow was much larger, as if he was standing at the back of the tent. "The two guards outside are sleeping," he said, "Got something to cut the tent?" Tong pulled out his dagger and with a quick thrust, he forced it into the thick canvas and pulled it down, revealing a gap. "Well, well." Gan Ning smirked when he saw Tong's face, "Didn't know they'd send a child for me. Come on in."

Tong stepped into the small tent and noticed that he had been playing a game of checkers by himself. Gan Ning sat back down on his make shift seat and played another white piece on the board. They stood there in an awkward silence for a bit before Ning spoke. "So, who did I kill?" he said bluntly, placing a black piece on the board after.

"Excuse me?"

"Boy, I've killed men before you were even born. I've seen them all. Your eyes, they show me everything. So who is it?"

"It doesn't matter." Tong said, "I have a job to do and it's to get you to Wu."

"So I'll have to just trust you now and then sleep with a dagger under my pillow afterwards?" Tong would have enjoyed his humour if they weren't enemies. "You're Ling Tong aren't you?"

"How did you know my name?"

"That girl, she spoke a lot of you."

"Xiang Wan?"

"When she was unconscious of course, only thing that came out of her mouth." Tong turned a little red but looked away. "Then when she found out who I was, she tried to kill me." He said sarcastically. "But at the end she did say one thing about you."

"What?"

"That you were a noble man." Ning stood up and stretched, "Mind cutting the rope?" he was referring to the rope that was tied tightly around one of his ankles and to the tree outside. Tong pulled out his knife and started to cut through the thick rope.

"Won't they find out if the rope stops moving suddenly?"

"Don't worry about those two bozo's out there."

"Everything's good Captain Gan?" one of the guards stuck his head in.

"You're kidding me." Tong said in disbelief.

"You think I came to this camp alone?" he turned to the two men, "You make sure you get out after me. I don't see your asses in Wu, I'll come after your ghosts."

"You got it Captain."

The two exited back through the small slit in the back of the tent and Ning looked up at the hill. "You're expecting me to climb this aren't you?" he asked when Tong was strapping his rope around his waist.

"Don't tell me the big bad pirate can't climb a mountain?" Ning scoffed in reply and secured the rope around him.

"I'm just afraid I'll get hungry waiting for you." Tong took it as a challenge and placed his hand on the rock.

"What are you implying?" He said, completely forgetting that they were trying to escape an enemy base. Tong turned around to see the pirate already starting the climb up. "Cheater." He mumbled under his breath and started to climb up.

* * *

The two made it up in no time and were quickly preparing to depart as the sun was beginning to rise. "It'll be dangerous for us to travel in daylight." Tong noted, using his infiltration skills. "There is an abandoned temple nearby here, we can rest there."

"For the entire day?"

"Just for the morning, they'll be searching for you once they find out you're not in your room."

"Well that's a given, but what the hell are we going to do in a temple all day?" Tong rolled his eyes, and started the walk there.

"Hey, where's the girl anyways? And my partner." Ning asked as they went through the bushes.

"They…" Tong paused, not knowing how to put it. He could not get much of the story himself as Xiang Wan had passed out when he was bringing her to the safe spot. "Xiang Wan is in a safe spot, she was injured in battle but she is safe."

"Battle? From what?"

"Was your partner a young woman?" he said and then described her to his best ability.

"You mean she's dead?" Ning crossed his arms across his chest deep in thought. "And you think Xiang Wan killed her?" he nodded.

"There has to be a reason, Xiang Wan wouldn't have killed anyone unless she was forced to."

"I never doubted her." Ning replied simply and walked ahead.

"But," Tong raced up to him, "Your partner is dead, yet you trust Xiang Wan?"

"I put two and two together. You have to be prepared for a world when people betray you that easily."

"But you're doing it with such ease…" Ning laughed.

"You have a lot to learn young'in." he said, "This world is full of snakes. We just want what is best for us. Hell," he ran his hand through his hair, "Look at me." Tong stopped in his tracks and watched as he continued to walk towards the large temple in front of them.

"This temple was suggested by General Fong…" Tong whispered to himself, they were wrong about Xiang Wan but would they? He thought carefully and shook his head. "No, I know good people." He told himself and headed towards the large temple.

* * *

OOOOh I make things so obvious ;3


	22. Teamwork

Uh. I think every A/N I do is an apology. Soo instead of apologizing I WILL THANK PEOPLE FOR STILL KEEPING UP WITH MY SLACKNESS. BUT Y'KNOW, REMIND ME AND I WILL REMEMBER TO WRITE...HAHAHA...

* * *

Chapter 22: Teamwork

The two of them walked through the hedges and towards the empty temple when Gan Ning had an uneasy feeling. Looking at his new friend, he asked, "Why do you know of this place?"

"Someone told me of it."

"They did?" he raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"It has to be."

"Wait up."

"What's the matter?" Tong was getting annoyed but suddenly was pulled down into the woods by Ning. "What?"

"Shhh." He hushed him and the two looked forward to the base where a group of soldiers were gathering.

"Why are these men there?" Tong said, surprised to see enemy soldiers patrolling the grounds as if they were waiting for someone.

"Who told you about this temple?" Ning asked again.

"General Fong."

"You kidding me?" Ning sighed, "Why are you still trusting that man? He almost killed your girl!"

"What are you talking about?" Tong snapped, their voices still in a hushed whisper. "General Fung was friends with my father, he would never betray Wu."

"Open your eyes man, he was the one who framed your girl and killed those other soldiers." Ning began the tale from the beginning to the end. From finding Wen Qin after her amazing survival from the cliff to the bodies of Tong's comrades that Ning buried. When he was done, Tong sat motionless, trying to grasp at all the information presented to him.

"I can't believe it…" he looked towards the temple again where to his surprise, Genera Fung was speaking to the soldiers. "He really turned his back on Wu?" his eyes grew dark as he reached for his sword, "I will kill him for making a fool out of me."

"Are you crazy?" Ning pulled him down, "They out number us by a dozen! You won't make it out there alive!"

"He has not only insulted me, but my Lord. I can not let this traitor live!"

"You kids are just full of it," Ning glared, "Think about your girl. What is she gonna do when she finds out you got yourself killed because of your arrogance."

"Arrogance?" He was offended but felt that he was a bit calmer than before.

"Thank god you calmed down." They looked back at the temple, "We can't turn back and our destination is probably pass this area. The girl said you were good at infiltration."

"That is my speciality, yes."

"Very well," Ning cracked his knuckles. "Time for you to put it in action."

-  
Tong and Ning waited until nightfall, staying hidden under the deep forests as the sun finally set. With small fires lit up around the temple, Tong and Ning devised a plan for their escape. Avoiding detection was their number one priority and with both of them putting their mind into it, it would be a simple task. After a quick survey of the area, Tong returned back to their rendezvous spot and told Ning about the terrain. "It's not going to be hard to get past them. They only have about ten guards patrolling in groups of two. There is always one section that is unwatched, but only for about half a minute before the torches light is seen again."

"We'll have thirty seconds to go from guard to guard? That sounds exciting."

"You're easily excited aren't you?" Tong raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't done this stuff since I was in my twenties." Ning let out a hearty laugh, "Makes me feel young again."

"Well don't get caught," Tong added, "Or Xiang Wan will kill me."

"That's true. She did grow attached to me." He grinned. Tong rolled his eyes and the two stayed hidden in the depths of the woods.

"Once he turns the corner." Tong had instructed and they laid in wait. The two guards patrolling the area were barely doing what they were asked. They mumbled and complained to each other about how they were stuck guarding nothing. As they turned the slight corner, Ning and Tong took their chance and dashed behind the large temple pillars. They both counted to about five seconds before moving from pillar to pillar, using the dim glow of the guards light as a counter.

"We're almost there." Ning grinned happily before they noticed the flame in front of them stop moving.

"I think I dropped my wallet." They heard the guard say. Ning and Tong looked down at their feet to see the small satin bag. "I'm going to walk back to get it."

"This isn't good." Tong said quickly, they were going to be seen by both sides! He looked around him, hoping to find an easy way out when he saw Ning pull out his daggers. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

"There's no way out other than to fight. We are already half way through. You said there were only 10 guards."

"But I don't know if there are any in the temple! You're the one being irrational now."

"You just have to go by your gut feeling sometimes kid. And mine says that we need to kill." He pulled out of his shirt pocket a string of bells.

"You're insane." Tong watched as Ning tied the bells to his waist, "They'll hear us!"

"That's the point. Unsheathe your sword, soldier." He commanded Tong, "It's either them or us tonight." Suddenly the pirate pulled Ning behind one of the pillars as the guard with the lost wallet headed their way. Just as his shadow lightly appeared on the wall, Ning threw his arm forward and held the guard in a headlock, quickly cutting his throat with the dagger. The guard fell into a slump, prompting Tong to stand back in surprise. He did it with such ease and as eerie as it sounded, grace. Gan Ning was truly a warrior, for he had been in so many battles and wars, they he did not think twice before he killed a man in cold blood. Was it like this with his father too? Tong wondered, but knew it was not the time to dwell on these unimportant matters. His mission now was to simply deliver him to Wu and reunite with Xiang Wan. "Quick," Ning disrupted his thoughts, "Pull him behind the pillar." They laid in wait for the next two guards to come. "You're going to have to help me with this one." He said to Tong, who was still unaware of what he was doing.

"But…"

"There's no time to think. They're coming." He lurched forward and pulled one guard over. Before the other guard could react, Tong did the same, thrusting his sword into the guards abdomen.

"Quick, the other guard is going to come check on his friend soon. Take these two guards armor." Tong said.

"You're not that dumb." Ning said with a sly grin. "Let's hurry,"

"How do we explain the blood stains?" Tong asked.

"We don't let him see it, that's what." Ning picked up the two torches and the two began to walk towards the lone guard. They had almost a minute on the next group, who would see the bodies of the three men and alert the area.

"Hey, have you guys seen Fung?" The soldier approached them.

"No one came our way." Ning replied, he had pulled the hat almost over his eyes, dipping the flame so that his face was rarely visible.

"He probably went to take a break. Lazy guy." Fung sighed, "I guess I'll keep looking for him."

"We'll tell him if we see him." Ning said, "We must return to our watch." He added and the two began to walk ahead. They got enough distance when there was a loud clang of warning bells.

"They're dead! Who could have done this? Must be them!" voices were heard all around the temple grounds.

"We've been found, we must hurry." The pirate commanded the lad and the two began to make a dash for it.

"Wait, what are you guys? Stop!" one of the guards spotted them, "They're over here! Come now!" he shouted to his comrades.

"Looks like we'll just have to cut whatever is in our way." There was a sly smirk as his bells began to ring with every step. "Let's party."

The sound of the swords clashed into the night as these guards were truly no match for the veteran warriors. Both Tong and Ning quickly manhandled their opponents and found themselves dashing through the forest. "They sounded the alarm bell, men will be swarming this area in minutes." Ning said, cutting through bushes and twigs.

"Wouldn't it help if you didn't have your bells on?" Tong asked, but was ignored by the hearty pirate.

"Up there!" He commanded his younger partner and the two began scaling a small cliff. The higher they got, the more uneasy Tong felt. There was no support for them, and they were climbing this through adrenalin. He would have never climbed it without rational thought, just what did this pirate have that controlled his like so? With his mind so plagued by these thoughts, he felt the rocks crumble under his left foot as he suddenly slipped down, with only one hand on a rock.

"What the!" Ning looked down in shock, "Don't move!" he instructed as he finished climbing the cliff at intense speeds.

"Where are you going?" Tong shouted, suddenly fearful for his life as he could no longer hear the pirates bells. "He left me?" he wondered, "That no good…"

"Hold on!" his voice burst his thoughts as a strong tree trunk was being lowered to him.

"Are you insane?" He said, wide eyed. "How am I supposed to hold on to that?"

"You have to trust me and just hold on." The two stared at each other, "I have no time for this! Do you want to see your girl or not?" Tong's eyes narrowed as he swung his way over and grasped onto the branch as if he was a bear. With strength of a hundred men, Ning made a large grunting noise and brought the young man up. When his two feet finally landed firmly on the cliff, both men were on all fours, panting and breathing.

"Thanks." Tong struggled to say.

"Don't worry." Ning replied, "You owe me now though." He grinned.


	23. Reunion

Chapter 23: Reunion

The two rested amongst the trees that night after their insane escapade. They had failed in getting back to the safe camp in time, as now the morning sun was peeking through the clouds and the realization of a missing pirate would come into effect. "They're not going to have that many men coming for me." Ning said, as the two crouched in the bushes, brainstorming any plans. "Most of my men have either left, or they will pretend to search."

"Pretend?"

"You gain a lot of followers when you're a man like me." He said with a smug smirk, "Your lord has promised to welcome them all also." Tong nodded, it sounded like something Ce would do. "Where is that map you brought earlier?" Tong reached into his shirt and pulled it out. "So, you sure it's safe here?"

"Xiang Wan is staying here, we have to go here regardless of safety." Ning did not like the tone of that comment.

"Do you know something that I do not?" Tong stayed quiet, "Do you still not trust me enough?"

"Fong might know where she is."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Ning got up, "And we've been sitting here like idiots? Let's go get her!"

"It might be more dangerous for us to get her, he might have a trap waiting and…" there was a loud cry in the air as a hawk flew past them. Tong quickly looked towards his map and his eyes grew bright. "Let's go."

"Go where? We need to get the little lady-"

"Just follow me!" Tong barked and they headed deeper into the forest.

"Isn't this?" Ning said as they approached the camp Fung had slain the Wu soldiers. "What are we doing here?"

"Looking for this." Tong picked up a small scroll.

"Where did?" he remembered that hawk, "That bird is yours"

"Before I left to get you, I sent a message to a friend." He opened up the scroll, his eyes growing darker as he read on. Ning didn't bother to ask but snatched the scroll from his hands.

"It says that you died killing me. How romantic."

"Xiang Wan is in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"He's going to use her as hostage," Tong began to pace, "He'll want us to go rescue her and then he'll kill us both."

"How did you get that plan from this statement?" Tong snatched it back from him, "What are we going to do? The little lady is in danger."

"You can go."

"Excuse me?"

"You go back to Wu, go to your soldiers. Tell them that Fong is the main perpetrator. I'm going to rescue Xiang Wan. "

"It's a suicide mission, both of you aren't going to survive!"

"I rather die trying to save her than leaving her."

"You're an idiot." Ning grabbed him by his collar, "I am not letting you go on your own."

"Why do you care so much?"

"I don't care about you, I care about the little lady who is going to die faster if you charge in like a bull!"

"Then what can I do?" screamed Tong as Ning let him drop onto the ground. "What can I do? Tell me what I can do!"

"You can pick yourself up soldier," a voice said from behind them. The sounds of a horse's gallops headed towards them. Tong recognized the figure instantly.

"Xun?" he turned around to see the young man jump off his steed,

"We're here for you and Xiang Wan. I knew something was wrong when I found out about the urgent message, so I gathered up the boys and followed you a few days after." Xun replied, as the rest of their classmates could be seen as they walked up the hill.

"You guys…"

"We're brothers, we need to help each other." The men shouted when they were reacquainted with their friend.

"But this is going to be suicide." Tong tried to explain as he saw all the faces of his close friends and comrades. These men all trained effortlessly to serve their country, yet here they were today, knowing their lives would be on line for a young woman.

"We already lost two of our brethren to General Fong," they replied, "We're not going to lose our little sister either. Let us help Gong Ji."

"With Xun's brain and our power, you know we'll be able to get her back!"

"You guys…" Tong suddenly felt Ning's hand clasp on his shoulder.

"You have good comrades," the pirate said, "Just for that, I'm going to help you guys even more." He grinned and pulled out a sharp whistle. "Cover your ears kids." He said before the horrendous sound went out.

-  
It took time for people to understand the concept of the whistle, but as the hours went by it was clear that Ning had called for back up. Up that small hill came foot soldier after foot soldier, the men that were deserting their camp to head to Wu. "Good to see you Captain." They would say, before getting settled down.

"How did they know that we were here? That's just amazing." Xun would ask the pirate who began to tell tales upon tales of his great conquests. Tong watched as their small army grew larger and larger, but knew that this was still not enough. They had very little time to move, as Wu's army and Huang's army would be getting reinforcements.

"What did Master Zhou say about reinforcements?" Tong had asked Xun to explain the entire charade as it was still confusing to him.

"It took a lot of favors but I finally realized what was happening. Our Lord and Master Zhou always knew what was happening." That comment stung a little as Tong couldn't believe they would send them on suicide missions. "Now before you judge, they never knew it was all three. They only knew Fong was involved, being an ambassador between the two camps. The other two were complete surprises."

"So they thought they had numbers against Fong?"

"Precisely, but now it seems like the tables have turned."

"What are you talking about?"

"About two-thirds of the soldiers on this trip were chosen by those men."

"So they would all flip on Wu in a heartbeat?"

"They probably have already flipped on Wu."

"How many men did they have?"

"No one knows, there were rumors of a large group leaving from the East, but no one could confirm it."

"So we don't know what we're going up against do we?" Ning placed one leg on a rock and rubbed his chin, "Just like the old days! Going in without a strategy, I'm excited."

"Does he easily get excited?" Xun raised an eyebrow, Tong couldn't help but nod.

"I've sent some of my men to scout," the pirate continued, "Huang's men are still on the search for us though. So we are completely outnumbered no matter how we see it."

"It's not the quantity of the men who win the battle," it was the young tacticians turn to brag, "It's about the quality of their skills."

The men split into three factions, being led by Ning, Tong and Xun respectively. After the scouts had returned from the safe home, the chances of their survival only lowered. The reports said that the entire area was practically surrounded by Fong and his soldiers, an estimated count of at least 200 against their tiny faction of 100. No one knew the status of Xiang Wan either, as each entrance to the building was guarded heavily. They could only assume she was still alive, as they needed her to be to attract Tong and Ning to their base. "We were raised on challenges." Xun had said to keep the morale up, as all the men sharpened their weapons and put on their armor. "This is my plan, we will get Xiang Wan and everyone back here alive." He placed a map on the ground, with the two other leaders surrounding it. "We will have three groups, the diversion, the main and the infiltration…."


	24. The Plan

Chapter 24: The Plan

Xun and his men hurried down the side path to the home, their weapons at their sides at all time. The reports from the scout said that the three generals went on a three man rotation. Two would be resting on the inside, while one would patrol the front with their group of men. It would have been difficult for their small army to go head in against Fong, so they knew they had to split up the three men.

This group was not particularly large, but they were brave and knew the young girl enough to put their lives on the line for her. In a way, she was someone who was willing to risk her own life, it would be ridiculous if they could not do the same. "Bo Yan," one of the scouts had walked over, "General Leung is out now, and their tents are set up to the East of the building."

"What I had assumed." Xun nodded as they rushed faster. The small group hid themselves among the shadows and large tree trunks that engulfed them in this quiet forest. "Arrows ready?" he turned to the men who them pointed out. "Light them up." The small hiss of a fire appeared as each arrow burned a crimson red. As Xun's arrow was being lit, he narrowed his eyesight to the large generals tent that was set up. "Let's save Xiang Wan." He whispered to all his men, as his finger let loose.

There was a huge flame in the air as one of the tents on the East side of the room went into a blaze. Soon a volley of fiery arrows lit the sky as one by one the tents began to light up in the dark. It was obviously a stupid idea for anyone to set up camp so close to the building, but it was also what Xun counted on. A large cymbal began to ring across the area, as men poured out of the West camp and out of the home.

Reports had sighted that the soldiers of Fong were all set up in tents outside, while the three generals rested in the building with Xiang Wan. As the East side began to crumble in the heat of the night, the men from the West were quick to be roused from their sleep and help put out the fires. "Hurry grab more water!" they would shout, the men rushed to save their comrades in their sleeping attire.

"This is our chance." Ning smirked from atop the cliff, where they had clear view of the entire situation. "Men, let us prove to Wu that they will not regret having us in their army!" With a loud cry, another volley of arrows with two additional boulders that Ning found came crashing down, crushing a majority of the tents.

"They're up there!" someone shouted, "It's an ambush!"

"Let's go!" Ning screamed and the men all began to scale down the small cliff, their ropes attached to their waists. As their feet touched solid ground, they quickly sliced the rope and rushed towards the enemy. "Before they get their weapons! Hurry! Now!"

"General Leung!" one of the soldiers from the West had rushed to the West, "We are being attacked from the West side!"

"What?" Leung panicked, the fire still burn through most of his side of the camp. "Where is Fong?"

"I am not sure, I will go get hi-aargh." An arrow whipped past them and struck the man in the chest.

"What the?" he looked up as a group of men came from the forest area in front of them. "MEN GRAB YOUR WEAPONS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

-  
The sounds of swords clashing and the familiar feeling of war erupted instantly as Tong circled behind the building. According to the scouts there was a room that was never lit, which meant it would be the safest passage to go through. Unlike Ning and Xun, Tong chose to infiltrate this alone. After all, he was the best of the group and the second best was inside waiting for him. With a quick dash, he headed towards the window and poked a small hole into the screen. He peered inside and saw that it was one of the storage rooms but his heart suddenly wrenched when he saw Xiang Wan sleeping against the wall. "That monster." He growled.

Tong had placed Xiang Wan at this safe house earlier for two reasons. One was that he still believed in Fong, but secondly was because he knew the medic personally and knew she was in good hands. If he walked in and she wasn't, he knew who he would need to kill next. He prepared to break the window when the door opened inside and a small candle lit the room. Tong quickly ducked in case his shadow showed, but still tried to look through the hole.

"Xiang Wan, are you okay?" it was the medic that Tong knew. "There is a battle outside, it is not safe in here."

"It is not safe for you to be here." She struggled to say as she sat up, her hand grasping on to her side.

"You are in no shape to move." The medic replied, "Fong and them are busy, I can help you escape."

"I am branded a traitor by Wu, you will be caught."

"I know who the real traitor is, I will not let this happen." He placed her arm over his shoulder, "Tong has been my oldest friend since we were children, I will not let him down." There was a sudden crash as Fong came into the room.

"What is this? Where are you going?"

"General Fong…" Tong knew he could stand there no longer and created a hole through the window.

"Xiang Wan! Jin! Come here!" Tong said as he confronted Fong.

"Why, Gong Ji." Fong's tone changed, "What are you doing here son?"

"Don't son me, I know what you have been up to! You lied to me and you're lying to our lord. I will not let you live."

"I gave you less credit than I should have." Fong said, staying silent so they could hear the sounds of battle outside. "I am very impressed, after all there are not a lot of people who could create such an impressive little army."

"The people of Wu do not give up on each other. Which obviously is something you never learned."

"You are nothing but a child, what do you know?" Fong held his sword in the air in a nonchalant manner, "When Lord Sun died, Wu died with it." With a huge swing of his arm, the blade struck Jin in the chest, dropping both him and Xiang Wan to the floor.

"Jin!" Xiang Wan cried, as her new friend bled profusely. "You monster!"

"I was waiting for your knight to come before I killed you, little girl. You've made everything much more difficult the day you decided to jump off that cliff. Now you've caused the death of Tong, and the two hooligans outside messing up my army."

"What are you talking about?"

"Huang's army will be coming in soon to help me and capture the men," his sword pointed towards Xiang Wan. "Truthfully, there is no room for women here, which means you are expendable, right here and now."

"Over my dead boy!" Tong cried and jumped towards Fong, throwing him off balance. The two men struggled to get up as both their swords had slipped from their hands. They clawed and griped at each other, punches being thrown all about as they raced to get to the closest weapon.

Xiang Wan watched in fright as she knew she was in no position to help Tong. Frantically, she looked around the room to see what she could do, but her previous injuries made it difficult to make sudden or large movements. She watched as Fong gave a giant elbow to his face, pushing him back. The moment Fong grabbed the dagger Tong had dropped, the feeling in her gut grew repulsive. With a large swing, Fong had stabbed Tong right in the leg, preventing him from moving any further. "Gong Ji!" she screamed, crawling in whatever pathetic manner she could. Fong pulled the dagger out of Tong's leg, forcing the man to let out another cry. With one look, Fong pulled himself up and hovered over the young man.

"Say hello to your Father for me." Fong said, his hand thrusting downwards.

It was all so sudden, as Xiang Wan did not know where she found the strength to throw herself over Tong. All she knew was that it felt like the weight of guilt finally evaporated from her body as the knife cut her flesh. The moments she could remember were sparse, as Tong's voice rung in her ears, his hands embracing her as she fell forward into him. Her eyes watered as her hearing and sight grew worse, her mind numbing into the darkness. It was a scary moment as she felt a sudden shiver down her spine and color fading from her skin. Yet, she felt relieved and happy, knowing that in her final moments, she could fall into the arms of the man she loved. "Gong Ji…" she whispered through her parched lips, before her mind shut into darkness.


	25. Hello, again

Hurhur, I would never kill my main character! I'm a softie romantic at heart. I believe in happy endings 3. Well here we go, final one! Thank you to everyone who has suffered through my lazy procrastination and urged me to continue! On the brightside, now I only have 2 more stories to be lazy at. BUT! With a new Dynasty Warriors game...I always get more inspired to write. Hopefully it won't be all new stories again...since there are a LOT of new characters. Hohoho...ENJOY and thank you again!

* * *

Chapter 25: Hello, again

There was a sharp noise from the side of her ear as felt as if the world had just dropped all its boulders and weights on her forehead. She moved her hand towards her eyes and opened them, the brightness stinging until there were tears. "How are you doing?" a voice suddenly said as she blinked to recognize a familiar face.

"Am I in heaven?" she said through parched lips.

"If you were in heaven and you saw me? You must have done a lot of great things in your life honey."

"Oh, then I am in hell then."

"Glad to know you still have a sense of humor." He stood back and sighed, the sounds of his bells giving off a beautiful melody in the quiet air. "Welcome back."

"Explain?"

"I would, but I think I have to go find someone right now." He winked, "Stay here, well not like you can move anywhere anyways." Xiang Wan closed her eyes again and sighed, the energy draining from her quicker and quicker. Just as she was about to drift into a deep sleep again, the door was thrown wide open as someone called her name…

-  
Tong had dropped everything in his arms the minute Ning had come in to the hall, screaming like a banshee that she was awake. "My scrolls and pens!" he heard Xun sigh from behind, but none of it really mattered. He could buy him new pens if he really wanted.

"Say what?" Tong had grabbed Ning by the shirt collar, "Say it again?"

"I don't need to say it again you idiot!" "He doesn't need to say it again you idiot!" Both Ning and Xun replied at the same time. Without looking back, he rushed out of the building and towards her room. There were thousands of images flashing through his mind, as he imagined the wonderful reunion he would have with Xiang Wan. Those tireless days waiting beside her bedside had paid off, even though he was a tad upset she chose to wake up when the Pirate was on watch. Though, none of it really mattered at this moment. _She was awake. She was okay._

"XIANG WAN!" he threw the doors open and looked to the bed where her eyes were closed and she lay motionless. Quickly murderous thoughts went through his mind, but he saw the small twitch in her face as one eye opened.

"You're just as loud as Ning." She muttered. "I really am in hell."

"You're okay…" Tong's demeanor suddenly changed as he took a deep breath and slowly walked towards her bed side. "You're okay…" he fell on his knees, his hand clasping onto her arm, "You're really okay." His hands gently cupped her face.

"You look…older." She whispered.

"I guess three weeks ages people." He smiled slightly.

"You have to understand I'm a little big confused right now." Tong nodded.

"You have to hear what happened later that night then…" he told her, his fingers tightly twined with hers as he retold the story of that horrible night.

-  
It seemed like time had frozen. Tong could not believe his eyes as he watched the sharpness of the sword easily cut through the skin of Xiang Wan. Her pupils grew large and then suddenly dimmed as she fell back into his arms. Her hair sprawled all over her face. It felt like someone had suddenly stolen his voice from him, as his throat contracted and he could not even find the courage to make a sound, a scream, a cry. Instead he watched as she felt heavy in his arms, and watched as her world was slowly dimming. "Look what you made me do." Fong sighed, he pulled the sword out, forcing her to jerk up and fall back like a handkerchief. Tong looked up at the older general, her blood dripping freshly from the tip of his sword. Suddenly there was a large explosive like sound outside as both Fong and Tong were thrown off guard.

"General!" a soldier shouted outside the room, "The Wu army has arrived! We're surrounded!"

"The Wu army?" Fong panicked, "Where are our reinforcements?"

"I'm not sure, they're co…aarrgh." There were the sounds of blade cutting flesh as the door was thrown wide open because of the weight of the now deceased soldier.

"Tong, Xiang Wan!" It was Ning, his blade in his hands. He looked at the blood flowing from Xiang Wan and looked over at Fong. "I'll kill you where you stand!" he raised his blade up. There was a smirk on Fong's face as he dropped his sword and raised his hands in the air.

"I surrender."

"You monster." Ning gritted his teeth. With General Fong's service to Wu, he was in no position to kill a man if he surrendered.

"You can't touch me."

"It'd be worth not going to Wu because I killed a rat like you."

"Stop!" Tong shouted, prompting surprise from the other two men. Tong's hand released Xiang Wan's now cold arms as he picked up the other sword. "Take Xiang Wan and leave."

"You're in no shape to fight. Let me kill him right here."

"He's mine." Tong gritted through his teeth, "If you want to make up for killing my father, take her to Bo Yan now!" He rose from the ground and suddenly rammed into Fong, pinning him into a wall. Ning picked up the young girl and looked back at Tong. Without saying a word, he nodded his head and ran towards the rest of the army.

"Now, you would not break the warriors code and kill me in cold blood, would you now, son?" Fong said with an impeccable grin. "You may be the son of the great Ling Cao, but I was higher in rank than your father. You'll kill me after I surrender?"

"You're an idiot." Tong gritted his teeth and let out a horrible, disturbing laugh that changed Fong's facial expression.

"The only other person…" he looked up, the hatred burned in his eyes. "That knew that you surrendered was a pirate." He raised the sword towards Fong's throat, "And no one trusts a pirate."

Tong hobbled out of the building, his head feeling woozy from losing all the blood in his leg wound. By the time he got towards the front door, he saw the familiar faces of Zhou Yu and Sun Ce's brother, Sun Quan. "Gong Ji!" Quan had rushed over to his good friend, "I am so glad we made it in time."

"Where is General Fong?" Zhou Yu asked, Tong looked up and looked in his eyes and the strategist nodded, knowing he did not need to ask further.

"How is Xiang Wan?"

"Gan Ning and Xun took her to the nearest area with fresh water so they could clean and attend to her wounds." Yu explained, his face never changing as he spoke like always. Tong turned to Quan, it was always easy to tell by his expressions.

"She's alive." Was all he could say to him and Tong knew that was the best he could hope for. "We need to get you fixed up first."

"Her injury was deep, but we were able to stop the bleeding. Both the Prime Minister and I have checked her vitals, it's surprising that they seem quite healthy right now." Xun explained to his friend as Tong kneeled at her bedside. "It's been two days already Tong, no matter how many times I explain what we found…"

"I know she'll wake up, I just know she will."

"She's not getting any food…or water, she will eventually."

"No. I believe in her." He parted her bangs from her face, "She's my partner." Tong sighed and walked out of the room.

The events of the last few days had been hectic for everyone. Sun Quan and Zhou Yu had come up the mountain to aid them, and were more than lucky to be able to intercept Huang's army and take them out. From that, they were awarded a piece of land that bordered their own province and Jing, something that was very good for Wu. Xun had taken this chance to quickly transfer Xiang Wan from a tent to the closest home in their new city, as it would be easier to get access to medicine. To his surprise, Xun was appointed temporary Prefect by Quan, who left Ning and Tong there as retainers. Now the young man was busy trying to run a city, save his friends life and try to get Tong to get up off his butt. To make it even worse, he had no clue where Ning had run off to since the fight. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" he sighed and headed over to the main hall, "Ning?" he recognized the pirates back, "Where the heck have you been?"

"Looking for THIS!" he had a huge grin on his face as a dirty, almost broken basket crashed on their dining table.

"That's our dinner table."

"This is going to save our young girl." He ignored his statement, "When I was on the sea, one of our men knocked his head. Never woke up, we thought he was going to die, and we were weeks away from shore." Ning was walking back and forth, his hands thrown high into the air as he was telling his epic tale. "Then Ying," he paused a little bit, "Ying that stupid brat, she told us about this herb. This magical little being." He opened the basket and dumped more dirt and weeds onto the table. "It'll be a lot of work, but if you turn it into a liquid powder, mix it with water and get them to drink it, it'll keep them nutritionally healthy and hydrated. He survived the two week trek back to shore."

"It took you two weeks to get back to shore?"

"We're not welcome in a lot of places, and that's not the POINT!" he dove his darkened hands in the basket, "This will save the young lass!"

"I don't think this has ever been proven…I mean if the great Hua Tuo…"

"The great Hua Tuo is a sissy that works for Wei." Ning growled, "This is a pirates secret recipe, what do we have to lose?"

-  
"So you guys fed me grass for three weeks?" Xiang Wan cut into the story. With the help of Tong, she had sat up thanks to him being her support system. His arms wrapped around her, Tong nodded and hugged her a little closer.

"I thought the idea was complete rubbish, you can never trust a pirate."

"But you did it anyways?"

"I had no choice, there was nothing else we could do."

"And all three of you have been taking turns feeding me this…grass powder?" she made a face.

"Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I originally did them all, but eventually Bo Yan and Xing Ba kicked me out."

"Wait."

"What?"

"Who kicked you out?"

"Bo Yan and Xing Ba? Did you forget who they were?"

"You just called Gan Ning by his zi name…"

"Oh right." There was a sigh, "He's not a bad person, I mean, he ran off for a few days to collect grass for you." Xiang Wan laughed and then lurched in pain, "Are you alright?"

"These stitches must be really ugly."

"It's alright. I have a matching one." Xiang Wan blushed, happy that she was not facing Tong.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Tong asked.

"Everything."

"No…" he said, "It's my fault. Everything I do is based on emotions; I lose my cool so easy. With you, with Xing Ba…I'm always blinded by my own selfish needs."

"Don't say that…even though it is kind of true." He laughed.

"You know, the short span I met you and Xing Ba, I feel that I've grown up more than I have in all these years of my life."

"I guess without me in your life growing up, you just decided to stay like a spoiled brat."

"Funny." Tong shuffled a bit until he could see Xiang Wan's face. "Marry me."

"I just woke up from a 3 week old coma and you ask me this?" she said, more than surprised. "Plus, I survived a coma, I probably won't survive the punishment I'll get from Wu." She sighed, "I caused a pretty big mess."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing will ever happen to you."

"I promise that too!" there was a voice outside the door.

"Xing Ba you idiot!" Xun's sigh could be heard.

"How long have you two been outside?" Tong cried as the door slowly opened and the two men stuck their heads in.

"Well, we helped feed Xiang Wan too." Xun tried to explain innocently, "If she's awake, we wanted to visit her too."

"But you all decided to be cutsie coupley on us." Ning walked straight in, "So we couldn't find an excuse to step in." he turned to Xiang Wan, "You're welcome for the green powder." She smiled in reply. "So, marriage eh?"

"You heard that?"

"Oh sweetie," Ning roared in laughter, "We heard everything."

"Our lord has appointed me official Prefect of this land for now." Xun smiled like a proud boy, "And as my first job, I would like to appoint you three to be my generals."'

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Ning raised his eyebrow, "Take three great warriors at once? Who will protect the castle?"

"Please." Tong rolled his eyes, "A monkey could do what you do, all you've done is picked herbs." Ning retorted with a glare as the two started to bicker. Xiang Wan looked over at the deflated Xun and laughed out loud; her laugh was full of energy and spirit, it was something they had not heard in a long time. Xiang Wan looked at the three men in her life and nodded before turning to Tong.

"If I get to stay here with Xun and Ning…my answer to you Gong Ji…" she closed her eyes, "Is yes."

"Remember to name your first child after me!"


End file.
